AGM-88 HARM

AGM-88 HARM
An AGM-88 HARM missile loaded aboard an F/A-18C
Type	Air-to-surface anti-radiation missile
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1985–present
Used by	U.S. and others
Wars	Gulf War, Kosovo War, Iraq War, 2011 military intervention in Libya
Production history
Designer	Texas Instruments
Designed	1983
Manufacturer	Texas Instruments, then Raytheon Corporation
Unit cost	US$284,000 US$870,000 for E variant
Produced	1985–present
Specifications
Weight	355 kilograms (780 lb)
Length	4.1 metres (13 ft)
Diameter	254 millimetres (10.0 in)
Warhead	WDU-21/B blast-fragmentation in a WAU-7/B warhead section, and later WDU-37/B blast-framentation warhead.
Warhead weight	66 kilograms (150 lb)
Detonation mechanism	FMU-111/B laser proximity fuze
Engine	Thiokol SR113-TC-1 dual-thrust rocket engine
Wingspan	1.1 metres (3.6 ft)
Propellant	Solid fuel
Operational range	57 nautical miles (66 mi; 106 km)
Speed	2,280 kilometres per hour (1,420 mph)
Guidance system	Passive radar homing with home-on-jam,GPS/INS and EHF active radar homing in E variant. 500-20,000 MHz for AGM-88C
Launch platform	F/A-18, F-4G, F-16, Tornado IDS, F-35 and others

The AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) is a tactical, air-to-surface missile designed to home in on electronic transmissions coming from surface-to-air radar systems. It was originally developed by Texas Instruments as a replacement for the AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-78 Standard ARM system. Production was later taken over by Raytheon Corporation (RAYCO) when it purchased the defense production business of Texas Instruments.

Operation

The AGM-88 can detect, attack and destroy a radar antenna or transmitter with minimal aircrew input. The proportional guidance system that homes in on enemy radar emissions has a fixed antenna and seeker head in the missile's nose. A smokeless, solid-propellant, dual-thrust rocket motor propels the missile at speeds over Mach 2. HARM, a Navy-led program, was initially integrated onto the A-6E, A-7 and F/A-18 and later onto the EA-6B. RDT&E for use on the F-14 was begun, but not completed. The Air Force introduced HARM on the F-4G Wild Weasel and later on specialized F-16s equipped with the HARM Targeting System (HTS).

Deployment

The HARM missile was approved for full production in March 1983, and then deployed in late 1985 with VA-72 and VA-46 aboard the aircraft carrier USS America. It was soon used in combat—in March 1986 against a Libyan SA-5 site in the Gulf of Sidra, and then Operation Eldorado Canyon in April. HARM was used extensively by the United States Navy and the United States Air Force for Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War of 1991.

"Magnum" is spoken over the radio to announce the launch of an AGM-88. During the Gulf War, if an aircraft was illuminated by enemy radar a bogus "Magnum" call on the radio was often enough to convince the operators to power down. This technique would also be employed in Serbia during air operations in 1999.

Versions of the HARM

AGM-88E.

The newest upgrade is a joint venture by the Italian Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense: the AGM-88E Advanced Anti Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM), produced by Alliant Techsystems.

The AARGM will feature the latest software, enhanced capabilities intended to counter radar shutdown, passive radar and active millimeter wave seekers. It will be released in November 2010.

It will be initially integrated onto the FA-18C/D, FA-18E/F, EA-18G and Tornado ECR aircraft and later on the F-35.

Gulf War friendly-fire incident

During the Gulf War, the HARM was involved in a friendly fire incident when the pilot of an F-4G Wild Weasel escorting a B-52 mistook the latter's tail gun radar for an Iraqi AAA site. (This was after the tail gunner of the B-52 had targeted the F-4G, mistaking it for an Iraqi MiG). The pilot launched the missile and then saw that the target was the B-52, which was hit. It survived with shrapnel damage to the tail and no casualties. The B-52 was subsequently renamed In HARM's Way.

See also

F-16 carrying an AIM-120 AMRAAM (top), AIM-9 Sidewinder (middle) and AGM-88 HARM

• Anti-radiation missile
• AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon
• ALARM
• List of missiles

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Bonds, Ray and David Miller. "AGM-88 HARM". 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

• AGM-88 data sheet (PDF format) from Raytheon
• Information on AGM-88 HARM from FAS
• AGM-88 HARM information by Globalsecurity.org
• AGM-88@Designation-Systems
• AGM-88 HARM by Carlo Kopp