German Company Transforms AIM-9L into Precision Air-to-Ground Missile

[Maarkhoor]

Depends. The 5th-gen WVRAAMs have a lot more range than their predecessors. At 25km+ they're basically seen as "near beyond-visual-range" or NBVR capable. If capable AGMs, they wouldn't be very different from the AGM-65 Maverick or MBDA Brimstone, which can be fired from fast-jets.

I still believe unless special variant of this dual purpose missile of this kind have limited role against modern armored vehicles because their warhead is not capable enough to penetrate through ERA...If they develop special variant then it can't be used air to air because of bulky and heavy warhead...in short dual purpose missile which can serve air to air and air to ground also have limited role + chance of induction.
It is just a technology demo nothing more.

 

[Quwa]

I still believe unless special variant of this dual purpose missile of this kind have limited role against modern armored vehicles because their warhead is not capable enough to penetrate through ERA...If they develop special variety then it can't be used air to air because of bulky and heavy warhead...in short dual purpose missile which can serve air to air and air to ground also have limited role + chance of induction.

Agreed. This munition wouldn't be for tanks, more like a COIN-specific weapon against light targets, or as a back-up in case of need (where one is configured for A2A but could flexibly help in A2G).

 

[Tank131]

US has tried this also on AIM-9B and L. That being said, if successful, I would think this would make a great weapon for attack helicopters that are able to carry sidewinders (AH-1Z and Apache), which would potentially make it interesting for the PA.

 

[PakEye]

please provide link of this photo

 

[Kompromat]

That's not a Chinese car.

 

[Kompromat]

That's not a Chinese car.

 

[Quwa]

US has tried this also on AIM-9B and L. That being said, if successful, I would think this would make a great weapon for attack helicopters that are able to carry sidewinders (AH-1Z and Apache), which would potentially make it interesting for the PA.

Yep. It is true the LaGS wouldn't have much explosive power, but its purpose isn't to thrash an army, but to take out specific targets in low and very low-intensity combat environments. In other cases, the LaGS could be used to take out relatively low-value targets of an enemy army, e.g. small fuel and ammunition dumps, minor bunkers, very short-range AA guns etc.

 

[Xerxes1]

Operational from the late 1970s, the AIM-9L (Sidewinder Lima) was the world’s first operational all-aspect WVRAAM. Capable of locking onto a target from any angle (e.g. from behind, above, head-on, etc), the AIM-9L conferred fighters with markedly superior engagement capabilities in dogfights. For the next several decades, the AIM-9L served as a mainstay munition for many air arms around the world.

In recent years, the increasing availability of fifth-generation WVRAAMs, such as the AIM-9X, is steadily pushing the AIM-9L and its contemporaries into redundancy. Fifth-generation WVRAAMs such as the AIM-9X boast a considerably wider look angle, which enables them to be paired with helmet-mounted display and sight (HMD/S) systems, which enable the pilot to engage a target by simply lining his or her naked eye to it. This is in contrast to the AIM-9L’s need of maneuvering the fighter to face the target.

However, instead of letting these otherwise good munitions fall into irrelevancy, Diehl BGT is looking to breathe new life into them. Diehl BGT’s solution is to

No way this option is not viable as 18 km is not a good range aircraft would have to fly low and any medium to short range sam will easily shoot the aircraft down

 

[Quwa]

Operational from the late 1970s, the AIM-9L (Sidewinder Lima) was the world’s first operational all-aspect WVRAAM. Capable of locking onto a target from any angle (e.g. from behind, above, head-on, etc), the AIM-9L conferred fighters with markedly superior engagement capabilities in dogfights. For the next several decades, the AIM-9L served as a mainstay munition for many air arms around the world.

In recent years, the increasing availability of fifth-generation WVRAAMs, such as the AIM-9X, is steadily pushing the AIM-9L and its contemporaries into redundancy. Fifth-generation WVRAAMs such as the AIM-9X boast a considerably wider look angle, which enables them to be paired with helmet-mounted display and sight (HMD/S) systems, which enable the pilot to engage a target by simply lining his or her naked eye to it. This is in contrast to the AIM-9L’s need of maneuvering the fighter to face the target.

However, instead of letting these otherwise good munitions fall into irrelevancy, Diehl BGT is looking to breathe new life into them. Diehl BGT’s solution is to

No way this option is not viable as 18 km is not a good range aircraft would have to fly low and any medium to short range sam will easily shoot the aircraft down

The main customer base for this solution are militaries locked in COIN (e.g. Pakistan), not much of a medium-range SAM threat there.

 

[Pindi Boy]

 

[Bilal Khan 777]

Air to Air Warhead is not entirely usable for all ground targets. The German company has been involved in life extension of Pakistani AIM9 stockpile, but converting AAM to AGM does not fit the Pakistani CONOPS.

 

[mike2000 is back]

Lol

 

[Penguin]

Well, there already is the Sidewinder-based AGM-122 Sidearm anti-radiation missile, for use on rotary-wing aircraft, which pretty much does air to ground against ground radars, so why not expand.

The AGM-122 Sidearm was produced by the re-manufacture of AIM-9C missiles taken out of service (the AIM-9C was a semi-active radar homing Sidewinder variant for the USNs and French navy's Vought F-8 Crusader). This was in response to a Marine Corps requirement for a lightweight Anti-Radiation Missile to arm Marine Corps AV-8s, A-4s and helicopters.

http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/agm-122.htm
U.S. Naval Museum of Armament & Technology

AIM-9C

AIM-9C (bottom), AIM-9A (top)

F-8 Crusader