AGM-65 Maverick

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**AGM-65 Maverick**
**Technical Summary**
A pilot inspects an AGM-65 Maverick missile on his A-10 Thunderbolt.
Primary function	Air-to-surface guided missile; attack and destroy armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation, and fuel installations.
Contractor	Hughes Aircraft Corporation; Raytheon Corporation.
Power plant	Thiokol TX-481 dual-thrust solid propellant rocket motor
Length	2.55 m (8 ft 2 in)
Launch weight	From 208 kg (462 lb) to 302 kg (670 lb) depending upon model and warhead weight
Diameter	305 mm (12 in)
Wing span	710 mm (2 ft 4 in)
Range (max. at high altitude)	27 km (17 statute miles, 15 nautical miles)
Range (max. at low altitude)	13 km (8 statute miles, 7 nautical miles)
Guidance	Electro-optical in A, B, H, J and K models; infrared imaging in D, F and G models; laser guided in E models
Warhead	57 kg (125 lb) hollow charge with contact fuze in A, B, D and H models; 135 kg (300 lb) high explosive penetrator with delayed fuze in E, F, G, J and K models
Unit cost	Up to US$160,000
Date first deployed	August 1972

The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground tactical missile (AGM) designed for close air support. It is effective against a wide range of tactical targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation, and fuel storage facilities.

The AGM-65F (infrared targeting) used by the US Navy has an infrared guidance system optimized for ship tracking and a larger penetrating warhead than the shaped charge used by the US Marine Corps and the US Air Force (300 pounds (136 kg) vs 125 pounds (57 kg)). The AGM-65 has two types of warheads; one has a contact fuze in the nose, and the other has a heavyweight warhead with a delayed fuze, which penetrates the target with its kinetic energy before firing. The latter is most effective against large, hard targets. The propulsion system for both types is a solid-fuel rocket motor behind the warhead.

[edit] Operators

AGM-65 missiles were employed by F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 to attack armored targets. Mavericks played a large part in the destruction of Iraq's military force.

LAU-117 Maverick launchers have also been used on American Navy and Air Force aircraft: