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The newly developed British Aerospace Sea Eagle Anti-Ship Missile will give aircraft such as the Sea Harrier (pictured) a quantum improvement in ...
Technology Explained
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Worden was disabled by a Shrike ARM, during the Vietnam War. The proximity-fused missile detonated 30 m above the vessel and crippled its control centre; it was most likely launched by an A-7, with the intention of wiping out a North Vietnamese radar. The defensive measure commonly employed is the powering down of the radar, after the launch of an ARM. Attacking aircraft may approach at high speed, launch an ARM and wait to see if the radar powers down. If it doesn’t, the fast (better than Mach 2) ARM will most likely penetrate the SAM/gun screen and disable the vessel; if the radar goes down, the aircraft may penetrate close enough to press home an attack with missiles such as IIR Maverick, and the vessel has severe problems, countering say a four round salvo. The advantage offered by ARMs is a large lock-on range, the ability to choose a specific target and high speed, aside from a small radar cross-section, head-on, and a lack of radar emissions to alert the victim (by employing ECM, one can conceal the launch of an ARM).
The established ARM in US service is the Texas Instruments AGM-45 Shrike, a Mach 2 weapon with a 66 kg fragmentation warhead and circa 1O nm of range. The Shrike airframe is a development of the AIM-7 Sparrow AAM. The successor to the Shrike is the Texas Instruments AGM-BBa HARM (High-speed ARM); this weapon may be launched by aircraft not fitted with complicated warning receivers (e. g. APR-38 as on F-4G), it is intended to arm the F/A-18A, A-6E and F-4G. The F-18 may carry up to four rounds, which may be launched in a Self-protect, Target-of-opportunity or Pre-briefed mode. Other notable ARMs are the GD Standard and the Matra AS. 37 Martel. ARMs can vastly complicate the life of most navies, particularly those that lack air cover, as this allows attackers to get in close enough for launch.
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