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Raytheon received a $77.4 million foreign military sales contract to produce 266 AGM-65D and AGM-65G2 infrared-guided Maverick air-to-surface all up rounds (AURs) missiles and 1 ground control system for the governments of Korea and Taiwan. AURs are missiles in storage containers that contain appropriate electronics and can be moved from storage to loading as is.
AGM-65 rose to prominence during Desert Storm, when many of TV’s missile-eye views of air strikes came from Mavericks. The missile is produced in 3 versions: TV-guided, imaging infrared (IIR) guided, and laser-guided. “Raytheon Restarts Production of Laser Maverick Missiles” has more on the laser-guided variety.
The current contract is for the IIR-guided missiles, which are effective at night or in bad weather…
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The IIR seeker [PDF] on the AGM-65D and G missiles presents a TV-like image on the cockpit display as it senses small differences in heat energy between target objects and the surrounding background. The TV-like IIR image is also used for tracking objects; tracking software enables the missile to distinguish between decoys and legitimate targets. This makes countermeasures to defeat the missile much more difficult to develop.
The AGM-65D uses a 125-pound warhead with a forward-firing conical-shaped charge for armor penetration. The AGM-65G employs a 300-pound blast fragmentation/penetrator warhead that was developed for larger, reinforced targets; selectable fuzing gives the aircrew the option of detonating the warhead on impact or after penetration.
Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill Air Force Base, UT manages the FMS contract (FA8217-09-C-0046).
The AGM-65 Maverick family of precision-attack missiles is used by the air, naval and marine forces of 33 countries, and has been integrated on South Korea’s ROKAF KF-16s and T-50 family, as well as Taiwan’s ROCAF F-16A/Bs and F-CK Ching Kuo fighters. More than 69,000 missiles have been produced to date, and more than 6,000 have been used in combat with a 93% kill rate. Raytheon’s family of Maverick missiles provides more than 250 jobs in Tucson, AZ; Goleta, CA; and Farmington, NM.
Major Maverick missile program suppliers include
* Alliant Tech Systems in Rocket Center, WV
* BAE Systems in Lexington, MA
* Eagle Picher in Joplin, MO
* Ensign Bickford in Simsbury, CT
* Kaman Aerospace in Middletown, CT
* MOOG in Salt Lake City, UT, and East Aurora, NY
* Primus Technologies in Williamsport, PA
* Reynolds Systems in Middletown, CA
* Woven Electronics in Greenville, SC.