The AGM-122 Sidearm was an American air-to-surface

anti-radar missile An anti-radiation missile (ARM) is a missile designed to detect and home in on an enemy radio emission source. Typically, these are designed for use against an enemy radar, although jammers and even radios used for communications can also be t ...

produced between 1986 and 1990. While not as capable as newer anti-radiation missiles, they were cheaper and lighter in weight allowing more versatile deployment.

Development

The AGM-122 Sidearm was produced by the re-manufacture of AIM-9C missiles that had been taken out of service. The AIM-9C was a

semi-active radar homing Semi-active radar homing (SARH) is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer-range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile systems. The name refers to the fact that the missile itself is only a passive de ...

variant of the Sidewinder, developed for the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Vought F-8 Crusader The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) is a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps (replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass), and for the Fren ...

, but used for only a limited period of time. Conceived and developed at China Lake NAWS, the Sidearm was first tested in 1981. In

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent public companies, Motorola ...

was issued a contract to convert and upgrade AIM-9Cs to the AGM-122A standard. A total of about 700 units were produced between

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

and

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...

. Existing stocks of Sidearm have been depleted, and the missile is no longer in service. Proposals for new-build missiles, under the designation AGM-122B, have not been proceeded with to date. The AGM-122 was less capable than newer anti-radiation missiles, such as the

AGM-88 HARM The AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) is a tactical, air-to-surface missile, air-to-surface anti-radiation missile designed to home in on electronic transmissions coming from surface-to-air radar systems. It was originally developed ...

, but also substantially cheaper, and its lighter weight enabled it to be carried by combat helicopters as well as

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

and

fighter bomber A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, wh ...

s. The missile was primarily fielded aboard Marine Corps AH-1T/W Sea Cobra attack helicopters, and Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jump jets, and could take the place of self-defense air to air missiles. The weapon retained the same warhead of the AIM-9C, which gave it a fairly limited destructive ability against armored vehicles. However, due to the nature of radiation homing missiles, the AGM-122 aimed for the radar emitter directly, all but guaranteeing the operational elimination of the target. The Sidearm was primarily intended for use against short-range radar guided anti-aircraft artillery and shorter range SAMs, including those fired by vehicles. The missile was capable of tracking a target even if it was moving.

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External links

FAS

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agm-122 Sidearm AGM-122 AGM-122 Cold War air-to-surface missiles of the United States Anti-radiation missiles of the Cold War Military equipment introduced in the 1980s Motorola products

Development

See also

References

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External links