War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

AGM-65A

2022-07-25T17:52:42Z

U50594765: /* Comparison with analogues */

{{About
| about = American air-to-ground missile '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| and
| usage = other versions
| link-1 = AGM-65B
| link-2 = AGM-65D
}}
== Description ==

[[File:WeaponImage AGM-65A.png|thumb|left|420px|The AGM-65A missile (scale is approximate)]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is an American TV-guided air-to-ground missile. It was introduced in [[Update "Ixwa Strike"]].

The AGM-65A started development in 1965 due to the bad performance of the [[AGM-12B Bullpup|AGM Bullpup]], which Hughes was selected in 1968 as the prime contractor. In September of 1969, the first prototype took flight, and in December of that year made the first guided direct hit. Production of the A model started in August of 1972 for the USAF.

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|a_4n}}
* {{Specs-Link|a_7d}}

== General info ==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | Missile characteristics
|-
| '''Mass''' || 207 kg
|-
| '''Guidance''' || TV
|-
| '''Maximum speed''' || 0.9 M
|-
| '''Missile guidance time''' || 105 secs
|-
| '''Firing range''' || 23 km
|-
| '''Explosive mass''' || 51.19 kg TNTeq
|-
| '''Armour penetration''' || 830 mm
|}

=== Effective damage ===
The AGM-65A's damage is somewhat inconsistent, mainly dependent on what targets you are striking. Light tanks/SPAAs/Open tops will generally be destroyed in one shot thanks to it's 51kg warhead. However, against heavier targets like MBTs and heavies, the missile's damage is more inconsistent. Thanks to the automatic TV guidance of the missile, it can commonly land hits on only tracks or on the thickest armor parts at bad angles. It doesn't have enough damage to overpressure these heavier vehicles, so firing from above and/or behind your target will result in the best results. It may have 830mm of pen, but composite armor/ERA is too common at the tier to allow it to consistently engage targets at any angle without eating it.

=== Comparison with analogues ===
Similar missiles around 9.3/10.3 are either Manual, SACLOS, or Laser guided. The AGM-65A is the worst of the TV guided missiles, below the later 65B and the Russian KH-29T. The 65B is more consistent, with a longer effective lock-on range and better controls allowing you to engage from both longer and closer distances. The KH-29T on the other hand is far greater in power, as it carries a whopping 148kg explosive mass, allowing it to even kill multiple vehicles with one missile. Versus other missiles of the tier, this early Maverick has the advantage of being incredibly accurate, allowing you to scan the terrain for targets, and being fire-and-forget. The AGM-12 Bullpup, AS-20/30 Nord, and KH-23M are keyboard guided which either require great practice or firing like rockets. The Kh-66 is a beam riding missile, requiring you to lead the missile all the way in using your nose which leaves you incredibly vulnerable to ground fire/the ground. The AS-30L is the best competitor at 10.3, with great range, damage, and being laser guided (of which the Jaguar A's ATLIS pod is amazing for).

== Usage in battles ==
Overall, the missile is very straight forwards: Point at target in third-person or inside the missile camera, press your target lock keybind, wait for the missile to follow the target, and fire. However, versus different targets, you'll have to use it differently. Also, the range is quite poor for moving targets, so keep your range to target in mind.

Air RB: In Air RB, this missile can be used in 3 main ways; Pillboxes/tanks, head-ons, and airfield campers. On ground targets, it's best used on pillboxes/tanks as they yield the most SL/RP. Simply just point and shoot and they'll die in one shot. Now against aircraft, the Mavericks can somewhat work. Using them on a head-on can make an enemy break off early, or even kill them if they're flying straight (especially A-10s). However against airfield campers the Mavericks allow you to snipe people on the field outside of SAM range. Fly above the enemy airfield, and get a lock on their plane. The slow and predictable path can allow you to get easy hits.

Ground RB: Now Ground RB is where the Maverick truly shines. An amazing tank-buster, it cracks even the heaviest tanks with just 1 or 2 missiles. Your first targets should generally be enemy AA's that threaten your very existence in the air. Spawn, climb, and get into their deadzone while dropping missiles from 3km+ away. You CAN hit enemies from further than 3-4km, but it won't track them moving. Instead you'll have to bank on the target sitting in one spot (which is common for AAs). After eliminating enemy AA, focus on opportune targets. Targets in the open, targets with little foliage/building cover, sitting still, etc. Cap points are an easy way to find enemies, as just find a point being capped by an enemy. If you need to quickly lock up a target, don't forget you can activate your lock and lock targets in third person. The tracker will search right at your crosshair, and leave a square on the spot/target its chosen.

Also attached to Ground RB is engaging enemy helicopters. The Mavericks have quite the ability to eliminate enemy helicopters, thanks to being fire and forget and helicopters rarely have the agility to dodge. They seem to gain an extra kilometer or 2 of lock range on helicopters, so don't rule out helicopters (unless you just want to gun them down and run the risk of getting gunned yourself).

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Fire and forget weapon once a lock is made
* Can lock on helicopters
* Can be locked in 3rd person view

'''Cons:'''

* Track-locking onto a tank-sized target only likely around 3 km (locking onto static target can still be done further away)
* Cannot be used at night or in poor visibility conditions such as rain.
* Cannot be fired without a lock.

== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[AGM-65B]]
* [[AGM-65D]]

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Missiles}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

AGM-65A

2022-07-25T17:29:12Z

U50594765: /* Effective damage */

AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder

2020-12-28T02:53:14Z

U50594765: Updated page to give more information on this missile itself instead of just copying some info from the AIM-9B. Added images, history, and usage on the F-104G.

== Description ==
The AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder is an [[Air-to-air missiles#Infrared homing .28heat-seeking.29 missiles|infrared homing air-to-air missile]], introduced in [[Update "Starfighters"|Update 1.99]] "Starfighters." Found only on the German [[F-104G]], it exists as an exact copy of the [[AIM-9B Sidewinder]], despite being an upgraded AIM-9B that resembled the [[AIM-9E Sidewinder|AIM-9E]] more closely. Thanks to being exactly identical to the AIM-9B, it performs exactly the same and thus should be used the same way.

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|f-104g}}

== General info ==
Until the missile is updated to resemble it's real-life counterpart, the FGW.2 will be the same as the 9B. The missile's performance is generally sub-par in comparison to other missiles found around 9.0 to 10.7, thanks to the FGW.2 basing it's stats of a missile designed in 1954-6. With only 10G's of overload and a tracking rate of 11°/s, it performs terribly in high-G dogfights. 4 seconds of warm-up time also limits it's effectiveness, so don't expect to be throwing these around. Thankfully the only platform that gets this variant is the F-104G, so dogfighting is not advised.

The AIM-9B FGW.2 is known also as the AIM-9F, an upgrade to the AIM-9B that resembled an upgraded AIM-9E. Little is known on the specifics of the F variant, other than the sensor window being changed to green, upgraded tech to solid state electronics instead of vacuum tubes, and a new cooling system. This lack of exact information and a designation so similar to the AIM-9B is probably why Gaijin hasn't updated the missile to it's historical state.

=== Effective damage ===
For being relatively bad to other missiles, the FGW.2 does not disappoint in the damage department. Like every other AAM, if this missile connects, it will 1-shot or at least deal critical damage to any aircraft. Obviously, it can't be used against ground targets, unless you count parked and active aircraft.

=== Comparison with analogues ===
It's performance is identical to the [[AIM-9B Sidewinder|AIM-9B]] and [[R-3S|R-3]] missiles, but is massively outperformed by mid-tier missiles like the [[AIM-9D Sidewinder|AIM-9D]], [[AIM-9E Sidewinder|E]], [[R-60]], and [[Matra R550 Magic 1|R550]]. It's lack of a moveable seeker-head, higher G-pulling, range, and sensitivity make it subpar if not for having 4 on a platform that is capable of traveling at Mach 2.

== Usage in battles ==
This missile's best usage comes in 3 situations, low energy, roll-rate spamming and compressed enemies.

Enemies at low energy can't dodge this missile, as their planes won't be able to maneuver above 10Gs.

Enemies that constantly roll in order to dodge your guns will find the missile to be much more accurate, as their aileron rolls put them in a situation where they can't run.

Enemies that have hit compression speeds will find your missiles hard to dodge as well. The [[Vautour IIA IDF/AF (France)|French Vautour bombers]], high speed [[MiG-15 (Family)|MiG-15]]'s, and [[F11F-1]]'s won't be able to outturn the missile's seeker at high speeds, and will be forced to either die or bleed enough speed to maneuver. It has a top speed of around 1.7 Mach, so the people who can outrun this missile with low maneuverability is other [[F-104 (Family)|F-104]]'s.

Forcing enemies to bleed speed is more of this missile's job, but speed isn't a big deal for the F-104, so it's kind of redundant.

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Effective against low-energy targets
* Decent at longer ranges in a straight line
* Effective against aircraft with low maneuverability
* Effective against aircraft in their high-speed compression ranges
* Only available on a platform that benefits from it's more passive role

*

'''Cons:'''

* Small seeker area
* Short range relative to other AAMs
* Poor maneuverability limits it's capability in top-tier dogfights
* Only available on 1 aircraft
* Statistics and models are inaccurate

*

== History ==

===Development===
The missile’s history starts at the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) at China Lake in 1947.<ref name="Goebel2019">Goebel 2019</ref> Under William B. McLean, the missile conception sprang from mating lead-sulfide proximity fuzes that were sensitive to infrared radiation with a guidance system to home onto the infrared source.<ref name="HollwayFOX2">Hollway</ref> Initially his own private project, McLean eventually received approval by Admiral William S. Parsons for development.<ref name="Goebel2019" />These missiles were first test fired in 1951, with the first air-to-air hit was made on 11 September 1953 on a drone.<ref name="ParschAIM9">Parsch 2008</ref> This experimental missile would be designated as the ''XAAM-N-7''. The missile would also earn the name "Sidewinder" by the development team, named after the desert rattlesnake that senses its prey’s heat and moves in a winding motion.<ref name="Goebel2019" /><ref name="HollwayFOX2" />

Initially a US Navy project, the US Air Force was urged into participating by Howard Wilcox, the next project lead after McLean was promoted to upper management at NOTS in 1954.<ref name="Goebel2019" /> This culminated in a shoot-off in June 1955 between the Navy’s Sidewinder against the Air Force’s GAR-2 Falcon missile. The Sidewinder’s performance in this event resulted in the US Air Force putting their support in the Sidewinder.<ref name="ParschAIM9" /> By May 1956, the missile was officially adopted as the ''AAM-N-7'' for the US Navy and the ''GAR-8'' for the US Air Force.<ref name="ParschAIM9" /><ref name="GervasiArsenal">Gervasi 1984, p.256</ref> These designation would remain until 27 June 1963, when the Sidewinder’s designations were standardised across all armed services as the '''AIM-9'''.<ref name="ParschDesignation">Parsch 2020</ref>

===AIM-9B FGW.2===
The '''AIM-9B''' (pre-1963 Navy designation ''AAM-N-7 Sidewinder IA'') was the initial production version of the Sidewinder.<ref name="ParschAIM9" /> More than 80,000 units of the AIM-9B Sidewinder would be produced.<ref name="GervasiArsenal" />

The Sidewinder was also acquired by NATO forces for their air forces. The AIM-9B licensed production was distributed to West Germany, who would produce 15,000 units.<ref name="GervasiArsenal" /> Like the US Navy and US Air Force, the manufacturer sought to improve the AIM-9B design. These improvements modernized the components with solid-state technology, added a carbon dioxide cooling for the seeker, developed a new nose dome and implemented better optical filtering.<ref name="KoppAUSAIM9">Kopp 2014</ref> The culminations of these improvements developed into the '''AIM-9B FGW.2''', which is also known as the ''AIM-9F'' in US nomenclature.<ref name="ParschAIM9" /> These missiles would see service in 1969, with conversions being done on European AIM-9B with the FGW.2 upgrade.<ref name="GervasiArsenal" /><ref name="ParschAIM9" />

The AIM-9E was developed at the behest of the US Air Force (USAF), making it the first Sidewinder variant created expressly for that service (the previous Sidewinders were all developed for the US Navy). Similarly, the AIM-9F was developed and produced in Germany, making it the first Sidewinder variant developed by a foreign country. The AIM-9F was produced by BGT (Bodensee Gerätetechnik), predominately for sale to NATO air arms. Both the -E and -F models were developed from the more common AIM-9B.

The AIM-9F is identical in shape to the AIM-9B, and seems to differ only in a slightly greenish sensor window. See the AIM-9 page for a detailed description of the AIM-9B for comparison.

The general composition of the AIM-9F Sidewinder is largely the same as those of previous missiles, though several components of this new model were different. The AIM-9F followed a different design philosophy from the AIM-9E, with a new version of the AIM-9B's seeker window (which has the aforementioned characteristic green color), a carbon dioxide cooling system, and solid state electronics.

The AIM-9F, as well as all four of the second generation Sidewinders (E, F, G and H models) are infrared-guided, but their guidance was markedly improved over the first generation. It is unclear as to what changes were made with the AIM-9F's guidance system, though they reportedly resulted in an improved pK ratio. All four models still use the lead sulfide seeker element of the preceding Sidewinders.

== Media ==
<gallery>
File:AIM-9B FGW.2 Image 1.jpg|F-104G mid-flight with 3 AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinders (1 Fired)
File:F-104G Image 3.jpg|F-104G going supersonic mid-flight with 3 AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinders (1 Fired)
File:On the runway.jpg|F-104G on the runway with 4 AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinders
</gallery>

== See also ==

* [[AIM-9B Sidewinder|AIM-9B]]
* [[AIM-9E Sidewinder|AIM-9E]]

== External links ==


;References:
<references />

;Bibliography

* “AIM-9F Sidewinder.” ''Military Today'', www.military-today.com/missiles/aim_9f_sidewinder.htm.

* Gervasi, Tom. ''America's War Machine: the Pursuit of Global Dominance: Arsenal of Democracy III''. Grove Press, Inc., 1984.
* Goebel, Greg. "The Falcon & Sidewinder Air-To-Air Missiles." ''Air Vectors'', 01 Apr. 2019, [http://www.airvectors.net/avsdaam.html#m5 Website].
* Hollway, Don. "The AIM-9 Sidewinder: Fox Two!" ''HistoryNet'', [https://www.historynet.com/fox-two.htm Website].
* Kopp, Carlo. "The Sidewinder Story: The Evolution of the AIM-9 Missile." ''Air Power Australia'', 27 Jan 2014, [http://www.ausairpower.net/TE-Sidewinder-94.html Website].
* Parsch, Andreas. "AIM-9." ''Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles'', Designation-Systems.Net, 09 July 2008, [http://www.designation-systems.info/dusrm/m-9.html Website].
* Parsch, Andreas. "Current Designations of U.S. Unmanned Military Aerospace Vehicles." ''U.S. Military Aviation Designation Systems'', Designation-Systems.Net, 30 March 2020, [http://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/missiles.html Website].

{{Missiles}}

[[Category:Suspended armaments]]

File:AIM-9B FGW.2 Firing.mp4

2020-12-28T02:51:15Z

U50594765:

FGW.2 missile firing in a test flight

File:F-104G Image 3.jpg

2020-12-28T02:38:05Z

U50594765:

Going supersonic

File:AIM-9B FGW.2 Image 1.jpg

2020-12-28T02:32:32Z

U50594765:

In-flight with some missiles

File:On the runway.jpg

2020-12-28T02:30:21Z

U50594765:

An F-104G with 4 Aim-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder missiles mounted.