An air-to-surface missile ( ASM ) or air-to-ground missile ( AGM ) is a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft at targets on land or sea. There are also unpowered guided glide bombs not considered missiles. The two most common propulsion systems for air-to-surface missiles are rocket motors , usually with shorter range, and slower, longer-range jet engines . Some Soviet -designed air-to-surface missiles are powered by ramjets , giving them both long range and high speed.
6-526: Zoobin (Javelin) is an Iranian TV-guided air-to-surface missile . It is considered to be the first generation of the Iranian PGMs . Developed during the time of Iran–Iraq War , it was a rocket-powered version of the American M117 bomb equipped with a TV-seeker . There are four small aerodynamic control surfaces, also in a cruciform pattern, mounted on the motor, which are connected to the guidance unit at
12-545: A different role; for example, the AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile is a land-attack version of the Harpoon. A major advantage of air-to-surface missiles for ground attack by aircraft is the standoff distance they provide: missiles can be launched from a distance without coming within range of the target's air defences. Most air-to-surface missiles are fire-and-forget from a standoff distance, allowing
18-563: Is some cross-over between air-to-surface missiles and surface-to-surface missiles . For example, there was an air-launched version of the Tomahawk missile , superseded by the AGM-86 ALCM . Other missiles used in both roles include the Penguin and AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles . Many air-to-surface missiles can be used against both ships and land targets, although some must be modified to perform
24-488: The attacker to withdraw without approaching further after launch. Some missiles (typically cruise missiles or anti-ship missiles) have long enough range to be launched over the horizon, finding the target autonomously. Sub-categories of air-to-surface missiles include: Typically, the higher and faster the launching aircraft is flying, the longer the reach of a particular missile is. For long-range missiles this difference can be relatively small, but short-range missiles (like
30-637: The front of the missile via control lines running along the body. The first versions only relied on these four fins but it was found that the missile is too unstable. Thus four larger triangle-shaped fins were attached to the center of the body to provide stability. The guidance unit at the front of the missile contains a daylight TV seeker that is the same one used on Qadr . Zoobin is given a US-style 'AGM' designation (AGM-379/20 Zoobin), though its designers say that this has no greater significance beyond inventory management and parts stocks. Both Iranian F-4 Phantoms and F-5 Tigers can be equipped by Zoobin though
36-467: The latter needs a modification to be able to guide the missile. Air-to-surface missile Guidance for air-to-surface missiles is typically via laser guidance , infrared guidance , optical guidance or via satellite guidance signals. The type of guidance depends on the type of target. Ships, for example, may be detected via passive radar or active radar homing , which is less effective against multiple, small, fast-moving land targets. There
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