- VARIANTS
-
Three different Sparrow missiles were developed in the early 1950s, with Sparrow III by far the most massively produced.
[Designation note: the first designation predated the 1962 tri-service redesignation scheme represented by the second]
- AAM-N-2/AIM-7A Sparrow I
- Beam-riding missile. 2,000 built by
Sperry at Bristol, Tenn. IOC 1956. Equipped US Navy F3D-1M/2M Skynight and F7U-3M Cutlass fighters. Not developed further.
- AAM-N-6/AIM-7B Sparrow II
- Active radar homing variant produced by Douglas (with Bendix-Pacific and
Westinghouse).
About 100 produced for tests with US Navy XF5D-1 Skylancer and the Canadian Avro CF-105 Arrow interceptor that was cancelled in 1959. Never adopted for operational aircraft.
- AAM-N-6/AIM-7C Sparrow III
- The first production version of the Sparrow III. Introduced semi-active radar homing
on continuous wave radiation, allowing interception beyond visual range (BVR). Infrared version was tested but not followed up.
2,000 built by Raytheon.
- AAM-N-6A/AIM-101/AIM-7D
- The only liquid-fueled
variant (Mk 6 Mod 3 motor by Thiokol). 7,500 built by Raytheon. For US Navy F3H-2M Demon and
F4H-1 Phantom aircraft and by the US Air Force (as AIM-101) for F-110/F-4C Phantoms.
- AAM-N-6B/AIM-7E
- Main production version with Mk 38 or Mk 52 solid-propellant motor. Also used as basis for RIM-7H Sea
Sparrow BPDMS (Basic Point Defense Missile System)--See separate database entry.
- AIM-7E-2
- had a slightly shorter range but was more
maneuverable, ameliorating a Sparrow weakness which had shown up
in combat.
25,000 built by Raytheon.
- AIM-7F
- Virtually complete redesign of the original
missile. On-board guidance uses solid-state electronics and a
doppler radar with conical scanning from a flat-plate aerial.
Warhead increased to present size, hydraulic controls were added
as was a more powerful Hercules Mk 58 or Aerojet General Mk 65
motor.
5,400 built before replaced on assembly line by AIM-7M.
First variant to have 2 sources when General Dynamics was
selected in 1977 (3,000 units) and the first to be exported in
large numbers.
- AIM-7H
- Proposed upgrade to 5,000 AIM-7F missiles for more effective operation with newer radars and fire control systems.
- AIM-7M
- Current production version. Improved AIM-7F with an inverse monopulse seeker that improves look-down/shoot-down capability and Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) resistance.
- AIM-7N
- Updated AIM-7F used in F-15 Multi-Stage Improvement Program.
- AIM-7P
- Development contract awarded to Raytheon in 1987. Will have new TDD (fuze) that permits a lower minimum operating
altitude, guidance electronics; a new on-board computer using Very-Large-Scale Integrated Circuits (VLSIC) will be have twice
the memory and computing speed, permitting multiple target designation. Reprogrammable receiver memory capacity expanded 16 times, processing speed doubled, capable of mid-course update.
- Missile Homing Improvement Program (MHIP)
- Being undertaken by IRISS Company (Infrared Improvement of Sparrow and
Standard), a joint venture of Raytheon and General Dynamics formed for both Standard and Sparrow III upgrades. Adds an
improved Infrared (IR) seeker to the SAR seeker to permit terminal homing in severe Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) environments.
$138.7 million Full-Scale Engineering Development (FSED)
contract from US Navy awarded to IRISS on 6 September 1991. Work
performed in equal shares by Raytheon (Bedford, Ma and Bristol,
Tenn) and General Dynamics (Pomona, Calif); completion due by
October 1994.
- AIM-7R
- Proposed development that would introduce dual seeker modes and active terminal homing, powered by Mk 58 Mod 5.
- ISSUES
- Combat experience in Vietnam demonstrated the limitation
of the AIM-7E and prompted the development of the -7E2 and -7F versions. Even in the most recent versions, however, the maximum
range of the missile appears to far exceed its useful range. Moreover, it has not been a good dogfighting missile, being much
more effective in non-maneuvering interceptions. In engagements against Libyan aircraft in 1981 and 1989 and an August 1987
interception of an Iranian F-4 at ranges well within the missile's stated range, 5 out of 6 Sparrows missed their targets
for a variety of reasons. In the August 1987 attempt to down the Iranian F-4, the first missile's motor failed to fire and the
other was launched at nearly its minimum range and missed the evading target. However, see Operational Notes for the Sparrow's much improved performance in Operation Desert Storm.
Although the US Navy requested no AIM-7 missiles in the Amended FY1988-1989 Biennial Budget delays in the Advanced Medium
Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) program, which is planned to replace the Sparrow, resulted in the appropriation of
$52.3 million in FY1989 to purchase 450 missiles.
- OPERATIONAL NOTES
- In January 1989, 2 F-14s from the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CV 67) were patrolling over the
Mediterranean when 2 Libyan MiG-23 Floggers closed on them. After several several attempts to discourage combat, the lead
F-14 fired 2 Sparrows which missed because the missiles wouldn't hold lock. The second F-14 downed 1 of the MiGs with a Sparrow.
The other MiG was downed by an AIM-9 Sidewinder.
In contrast to its earlier indifferent success in several
air wars, the Sparrow's performance in Operation Desert Storm was
difficult to fault. 23 Iraqi combat aircraft were shot down by
AIM-7s during the 7-week war, 69% of the total. Moreover,
reports suggested that the missile operated reliably, due in part
to better pilot training and solid-state electronics. Another
factor was the overall air supremacy of coalition forces that
sapped Iraqi Air Force morale and allowed their effectively
invulnerable airborne early warning system to direct coalition
pilots to the attack.