The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-surface tactical missile designed for close air support, interdiction, and defense suppression. It is effective against a wide range of tactical targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation, and fuel storage facilities. More than 69,000 missiles have been produced to date, and more than 6,000 have been used in combat, with a 93 percent kill rate.
Maverick configurations are based on three seekers — television, infrared and laser — and two warhead sizes. Maverick’s guidance software provides attack capability around-the-clock against fixed high-value targets, high-speed moving and maneuvering armored vehicles, ships and fast boats, and targets of opportunity.
The AGM-65F (infrared targeting optimized for ship tracking) is used on Navy P-3 aircraft.
The AGM-65E (laser guided) is used on Marine Corps AV-8 aircraft have the larger (300 pound; 136 kg) penetrating warhead.
The AGM-65A/B/D 125 pound (57 kg) shaped charge (electro-optical guided) is used by the Air Force F-16 and A-10 aircraft.
General Characteristics
- Primary Function: Air-to-surface guided missile; attack and destroy armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation, and fuel installations.
- Contractor: Raytheon Co.
- Date Deployed: August 1972.
- Unit Cost: $180,000.
- Propulsion: Thiokol SR 109-TC-1 solid-propellant rocket motor; Thiokol SR 114-TC-1 (or Aerojet SR 115-AJ-1) solid-propellant rocket motor
- Length: 98 inches
- Diameter: 12 inches
- Wingspan: 28 inches
- Weight: 462 – 670 pounds, depending upon model
- Speed: Supersonic
- Range: 17 nautical miles
- Guidance System: Electro-optical (TV) in A and B models; imaging infrared (IIR) in D, F and G models; laser guided in the E model.
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