Popeye (missile)

Popeye
The "Popeye" standoff missile
Type	Air-to-surface missile
Place of origin	Israel
Service history
In service	1985 – present
Used by	See Users
Production history
Designer	Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
Manufacturer	Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Lockheed Martin Turkish Aerospace Industries
Specifications
Weight	1,360 kg (3,000 lb)
Length	4.82 m (15 ft 10 in)
Diameter	533 mm (21 in)
Warhead	340 kg (750 lb) blast fragmentation or 360 kg (800 lb) I-800 penetrating
Engine	Single stage Solid-fuel rocket
Wingspan	198 cm (78 in)
Operational range	78 km (48 miles)
Guidance system	Inertial plus IIR or TV
Launch platform	Fixed-wing platforms

The Popeye is an air to ground missile developed and in use by Israel, of which several types have been developed for Israeli and export users. A substantially modified long range cruise missile variant of the Popeye Turbo is believed to be used to arm the Israeli submarine based nuclear forces. The United States is one of the users of the Popeye but has renamed it according to US naming conventions as the AGM-142 Have Nap.

Design

The Popeye is designed for precision attack against large targets from stand off ranges. The missile is powered by a single stage solid rocket. An inertial guidance system pilots the missile towards the target; for terminal homing the pilot can control the missile directly via an INS and data link, aiming via either a television or imaging infrared seeker depending on the missile model. It is not necessary for the launching aircraft to direct the missile - control can be passed to another platform whilst the firing aircraft escapes the area. There are two choices of warhead, a 340 kg (750 lb) blast/fragmentation or 360 kg (800 lb) penetrator. The Popeye in US service known as AGM-142 Have Nap is a joint project between the Israeli designer and manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and US defense contractor Lockheed Martin.

Overview

The Popeye is compatible with a variety of aircraft from tactical fighters to heavy bombers.

Since their inception, the missiles have gone through a variety of improvement programs designed to increase reliability and reduce costs. These efforts have included changes in the materials and manufacturing processes of the wings, fins and rocket motor, new components in the inertial guidance unit, an upgraded processor, and an improved imaging infrared seeker.

Israel is suspected of using the airframe and avionics to produce a long range submarine launched cruise missile with a liquid fueled jet engine similar to the Popeye Turbo rather than a rocket.

In US use, the Popeye is intended primarily to equip the B-52H, allowing it to attack fixed targets of high value at sufficient range to provide protection from defences. The missile represented the first precision guided munition to be carried by the B-52H. Popeye/Have Nap was available to the US forces during the Operation Desert Storm, but was not used. There was some speculation that the political considerations of using an Israeli-designed missile against an Arab country prevented the deployment of the missile.

Deployment

First developed for use by the Israeli Air Force it has been in service since 1985.

The United States Air Force first bought a batch of 154 missiles in 1989 followed by a second batch of 54 missiles in 1996.

The Royal Australian Air Force has also purchased a number of Popeye missiles in the late 1990s for use by the RAAF's F-111 bombers. Due to the greater-than-expected difficulty of integrating the missile with the F-111, it was not expected to attain Initial Operation Capability (IOC) with the RAAF prior to 2006.^{[citation needed]} The F-111 was taken out of Australian service in 2010.

Currently, the Turkish Air Force's F-4 2020 Terminator aircraft (which were extensively upgraded by IAI) and the TuAF F-16 CCIP are armed with a Turkish License production version of the Popeye.

Israel and Turkey co-production

In May 1997, Israel and Turkey signed an agreement valued in excess of US $500 million for the establishment of a joint-venture between Israel's Rafael and Turkey's Turkish Aerospace Industries for the co-production of Popeye I and Popeye II missiles in Turkey.^{[citation needed]}

Users

Popeye Standoff Missile

• Israel: Israeli Air Force
• India: Indian Air Force
• Republic of Korea: Republic of Korea Air Force
• Australia: Royal Australian Air Force
• Turkey: Turkish Air Force
• United States: United States Air Force

Specifications

• Weight : 1,360 kg (3,000 lb)
• Length : 4.82 m (15 ft 10 in)
• Diameter : 533 mm (21 in)
• Wing Span : 1.98 m (78 in)
• Guidance : Inertial plus IIR or TV
• Engine : Single stage solid rocket
• Range : 78 km (48 mi)
• Warhead : 340 kg (750 lb) blast fragmentation or 360 kg (800 lb) I-800 penetrating

Variants

• Popeye II or Popeye Lite (also known as Have Lite) - this is a reduced size (shortened to 424 cm/167 in) and weight version (weight is now 1125 kg/2500 lb) of the Popeye to give light aircraft such as the F-16I Sufa a precision standoff strike capability.

• Popeye Turbo - The air launched Popeye Turbo which uses a jet engine and liquid fuel is approx 6.25 m (20.5 ft) long, it is reported to have a range of more than 320 km (200 mi).

• Popeye Turbo SLCM - A suspected stretched version of the Popeye Turbo developed primarily for use as a submarine launched cruise missile (SLCM) was widely reported in a US Navy observed 2002 test in the Indian Ocean to have hit a target at 1500 km, it can allegedly carry a 200 kg nuclear warhead. It is suspected that the stretched Popeye Turbo is the primary strategic second strike nuclear deterrent weapon which can be fired from the 650mm secondary torpedo tubes of the Israeli Dolphin class submarines. It is believed that the SLCM version of the Popeye was developed by Israel after the US Clinton administration refused an Israeli request in 2000 to purchase Tomahawk long range SLCM's because of international MTCR proliferation rules. While the standard Popeye is 533mm the Dolphin class submarines have four 650mm torpedo tubes in addition to the six standard 533mm tubes allowing for the possibility that a SLCM Popeye derivative may be a larger diameter.

See also

• Delilah missile

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Bonds, Ray and David Miller. Illustrated Directory of Modern American Weapons. Zenith Imprint, 2002. ISBN 0-76031-346-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=cfpBbuIlfV0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Illustrated+Directory+of+Modern+American+Weapons#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

External links

• Popeye on Rafael's official site
• AGM-142 The RAAF's New Standoff Weapon
• Federation of American Scientist section page on Popeye
• Excerpts from www.jinsa.org