AGM-45 Shrike

[chrisonord]

I have been reading little snippets about this missile here and there, but not seen any threads for it. I was wondering about the possible reinstatement of this missile into active service, all be it a much improved one of course. I have a pile of the things in 1/72nd scale that are sat there doing nowt as they currently don't fit into my builds. Any ideas and vague reasons why I should, or not start putting these things on helicopters, jets and prop planes for the purpose intended or otherwise will be greatly accepted.
Cheers,
Chris. 

[Old Wombat]

I'd put 'em on coz they look cool.

If you want, do some minor mod's around the engines, fins & nose; then say it's a HARM-90.

Or put them on 1:48th aircraft as unguided/semi-guided rockets.

[Jschmus]

The Shrike was developed at China Lake using a custom-developed seeker mated to an AIM-7C Sparrow missile.  Therefore the warhead is a little small, but still adequate for most small or soft-skinned targets.  You could retrofit a radar seeker of some sort and use them as short-range anti-ship missiles or for other surface targets.  Knowing some of the crazy things they did at China Lake, they probably tested them with alternate seekers themselves, likely the IR-sensor from the AIM-9.

According to Wikipedia, Israel fitted them to Sherman tanks (designated Kilshon) and used them as surface-to-surface missiles.

[Cobra]

You could do a Diorama with the Shrikes about to be Loaded onto an Aircraft getting made Ready for a Mission. Hope this Helps. Dan

[rickshaw]

I have been reading little snippets about this missile here and there, but not seen any threads for it. I was wondering about the possible reinstatement of this missile into active service, all be it a much improved one of course. I have a pile of the things in 1/72nd scale that are sat there doing nowt as they currently don't fit into my builds. Any ideas and vague reasons why I should, or not start putting these things on helicopters, jets and prop planes for the purpose intended or otherwise will be greatly accepted.
Cheers,
Chris. 

The electronics would need to be updated.  Expensive.  Apart from that, everything else, particularly the rocket motor, warhead and airframe are more than likely still in production - it is afterall just a modified Sparrow.

[NARSES2]

You know I never realised how big they were until seeing that one on the Sherman 

[Cliffy B]

I never knew this but while reading Sumrall's book on the "Sumner and Gearing-Class Destroyers", Several of the FRAM ships had 4 Shrikes mounted in a tubular steel launcher atop the ASROC launchers.  Each missile could elevate along with each section of the launcher.  The ships used them to take out shore based radar sites while on the gun-line off Vietnam.  Apparently they proved VERY effective.  Only a few select ships ever got them and no other class did either.

Also, remember that chief downside of the Shrike, its seeker head.  The HARM has a much more sophisticated and harder to defeat seeker head.  Its also much more maneuverable and faster.  The old Shrike was simply an off the shelf AIM-7 Sparrow with a different seeker head installed.  From what I remember the initial Shrike's seeker was very selective when it came to the freqs it would home in on and would drop contact if the radar was shut off.  The HARM's seeker was designed to with much wider range and could remember the radar's location even if it was turned off.

[rickshaw]

You know I never realised how big they were until seeing that one on the Sherman 

If you look, you'll notice that one has a booster behind it.  It needed it to get the range.  They were used in Southern Lebanon IIRC.

[Maverick]

It's also worth noting that the Shrike could easily be defeated by turning the offending radar off.  The AGM-78 Standard ARM addressed that issue later on before both were replaced by the much more capable HARM.

There were some differences beyond a seeker head between the Sparrow and Shrike, however.  A cursory look at the rear fins shows a distictly clipped profile as opposed to the AIM-7's pointed fins.

Regards,

Mav

[Jschmus]

While we're on the subject, could the missile wells under a Phantom be modified to accept Shrikes in place of the usual Sparrows?  It could give a Wild Weasel more shots per mission.

[Maverick]

I was always surprised about that myself.  Seems a blinding obvious thing to put there leaving beaucoup room for tanks & CBUs.

Regards,

Mav

[rickshaw]

I think the Phantom's Sparrow wells are pretty well tailored to the Sparrow's fins.  Now, an F-15 or an F/A-18 with their corner mounted Sparrows might be a better bet...

[NARSES2]

You know I never realised how big they were until seeing that one on the Sherman 

If you look, you'll notice that one has a booster behind it.  It needed it to get the range.  They were used in Southern Lebanon IIRC.

Right can see that now

[chrisonord]

I was thinking about putting some on Helicopters, namely my Honduras Army helicopters, just to give them some sort of defence against mobile and fixed SAM sites. My cartel forces have got mainly mobile stuff ie Tunguska's and SA-3 Grumble systems, so I thought some Shrike armed Helo's would be a good compliment to some armed with rockets and anti tank missiles. I could at a push, get 8 on a Mangusta, if not 4.
Cheers,
Chris.

[pyro-manic]

They're possibly a bit big/heavy for helicopters? There was a Sidewinder variant with an anti-radar seeker, the AGM-122 SideARM. That might be a good basis - they're smaller and lighter, so your helos could carry more.