AIM-26 Falcon

Hughes AIM -26 Falcon is an infrared or radar guided air-to - air guided weapon of the Hughes Aerospace Group. The missile could be fitted with a nuclear warhead. The originally proposed by the USAF for the Falcon name was XF -98, with which the missile was formally incorporated into the ranks of U.S. fighter planes.

History

The planning of a version of the AIM -4 Falcon with nuclear warhead began in 1956, when Hughes Aircraft was contracted to develop two such missiles. The development of the actual AIM -26, referred to at the beginning still as GAR -11, began in 1959. The application profile provided for intercepting high - flying bombers and fast. 1961, the first version was put into service and used on the Convair F -102 Delta Dagger.

For use on Allied territory also the GAR -11A was built, which had a conventional fragmentation warhead.

Since 1963, the missile was conducted in the course of Designationsreform as AIM -26, the nuclear version, the AIM - 26A, the conventional AIM - 26B.

Already in 1972, the weapon in the USAF was finally decommissioned and replaced by the effective AIM -7 Sparrow. However, the AIM -26 was further built under license in Sweden, where the Rb -27 and Rb -28 was known as and until the 1990s, the Saab Draken armed. Another licensed production took place in Switzerland under the local name HM -55 and HM -88; where she was employed at the Mirage IIIS.

Technology

The nuclear warhead W54, as it was also used in the Davy Crockett, had an explosive force of up to 250 tons of TNT equivalent. Alternatively, a 18.1 kg heavy high-explosive warhead was used. The guidance was semi- active, the hunter had to illuminate the target so with his radar. This required that the on-board radar continuously sending out radar signals in the direction of the target. The seeker head of the AIM -26 used the reflected radar energy to find the target. The ignition was carried out by proximity fuse. The rocket engine accelerated the AIM -26 to about Mach 2, the range was up to 16 kilometers.

Were derived from the rocket and the never -built AIM -47 Falcon and the long time in the United States Navy used the AIM -54 Phoenix.

Variants

Mission aircraft

  • F -102 Delta Dagger
  • Saab J -35 Draken
  • Mirage IIIS
  • F -89 Scorpion
  • Convair F -106 Delta Dagger
  • McDonnell Douglas F -4 Phantom II
Hughes Aircraft Company Mach number Convair F-102 Delta Dagger Dassault Mirage III Davy Crockett (nuclear device) F-89 MIM-3 Nike Ajax MGM-5 Corporal SSM-N-8 Regulus CIM-10 Bomarc MGM-13 Mace Thor (rocket family) MGM-18 Lacrosse SS.11 RIM-24 Tartar MGM-29 Sergeant LGM-30 Minuteman MGM-31 Pershing ENTAC FIM-43 Redeye MGM-51 Shillelagh AGM-63 AIM-68 Big Q AGM-69 SRAM BGM-71 TOW MIM-72 Chaparral M47 Dragon AIM-82 FIM-92 Stinger AIM-95 Agile Trident (missile) AIM-97 Seekbat MIM-104 Patriot Tomahawk (missile) LGM-118 Peacekeeper AGM-124 Wasp AGM-130 AGM-131 SRAM II MGM-134 Midgetman ASM-135 ASAT AGM-137 TSSAM MGM-140 ATACMS Popeye (missile) Air Defense Anti-Tank System AIM-152 AAAM AGM-153 AGM-158 JASSM AGM-159 JASSM AGM-169 Joint Common Missile FGM-172 SRAW Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star North American F-82 Twin Mustang McDonnell XF-85 Goblin Curtiss-Wright XF-87 Blackhawk McDonnell XF-88 Voodoo Northrop F-89 Scorpion Lockheed XF-90 Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor Convair XF-92 Republic XF-103 Convair F-106 Delta Dart
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