Air-Launched Weapons

Details on how each weapon works, when it entered service, who purchased it and which aircraft are cleared to carry.

Content Structure
Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons presents the available facts about the world’s air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, bombs, aircraft guns, airborne rockets and air delivered underwater weapons in a single accessible format that is unique. The data on each weapon system follows a standard format, with some differences in style to accommodate differing categories of air-launched weapon. In some instances, notably emerging or developmental programmes, a lesser level of information is available. In these cases Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons endeavours to collate all the available facts, analysis and images on an ongoing basis. Such entries will be expanded to meet the standard format whenever possible, but no programme will be omitted simply because of scanty information. Every entry in Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons is regularly reviewed, and updated when changes occur. Many established, in service weapons exist today at a steady state in the world’s airborne inventories. Other, typically more modern systems, are constantly evolving. The data in Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons reflects both these categories. For reasons of space, the printed volumes of Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons will omit some older, legacy weapons and weapons that have been largely or fully removed from service. All of this data is available to on-line subscribers at jalw.janes.com.

In preparing Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons it is inevitable that conflicting information has to be assessed to deliver a set of likely figures. Every effort is made to provide the user with an accurate and impartial assessment. Assessments will change when, and as, more information becomes available.

Structure
Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons contains six over-arching sections, covering all the basic weapons types. These are:

• Air-to-Air Missiles
• Air-to-Surface Missiles
• Bombs
• Guns,
• Rockets and Underwater Weapons

Within these broad categories the individual weapons have been collated into a number of sub-divisions, arranged by role or capability.

• Air-to-Air Missiles are divided between those typically classed as Within Visual Range or Beyond Visual Range missiles.
• Air-to-Surface Missiles have been divided into Direct Attack, Anti-Ship and Stand-Off and Cruise missiles.
• Bombs have been categorised as Unguided (’dumb’) or Precision and Guided (’smart’), plus the separate class of Cluster and Dispenser Munitions.
• Aircraft Guns have been split into Integral and Mounted or Podded systems.
• Rockets are arranged in a single classification while Underwater Weapons are either Mines or Torpedoes.

Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons does not offer these subdivisions as definitive classifications of weapons. In a few cases weapons and their capabilities will overlap between categories. However, the allocation of weapons to these different classifications follows what is largely widespread, accepted practice and makes the overall content more orderly and user-friendly.

Record Structure
Each system entry has the same basic format throughout:

The text is divided into several main paragraphs covering type, development, description, status, specifications and contractors. In some of the longer entries specific items of interest have been highlighted, enhancing readability and drawing attention to important aspects of the programme.

The less well-known acronyms and abbreviations are spelt out as they occur, but a glossary has been provided listing the general acronyms and abbreviations that have been used. There is a comprehensive indexing system, to enable readers to find other relevant entries quickly and easily. The Contents and Alphabetical Index both have the page numbers for each entry. The Jane’s standard practice has been followed, listing entries by country in alphabetical order, within each section and within each country in name or number order. A listing of the prime contractors mentioned in each entry, together with their available contact details is included in the Contractors section.

Images
Photographs are included when available and are followed by a seven-digit reference number, for ease of identification in the Jane’s image library.

Sections

• Air-launched rockets
• Air-to-air missiles - beyond visual range
• Air-to-air missiles - within visual range
• Air-to-surface missiles - anti-ship
• Air-to-surface missiles - direct attack
• Air-to-surface missiles - stand-off and cruise
• Analysis
• Analysis - air-to-air missiles
• Analysis - air-to-surface missiles
• Analysis - automatic grenade launchers
• Analysis - bombs
• Analysis - country inventories - in development
• Analysis - country inventories - in service
• Analysis - gun pods and mountings
• Analysis - guns
• Analysis - in-service combat aircraft and their air-launched weapons capabilities
• Analysis - mines and depth charges
• Analysis - rocket launchers
• Analysis - rockets
• Analysis - torpedoes
• Analysis - worldwide in-service combat aircraft
• Bombs - cluster and dispenser munitions
• Bombs - precision and guided munitions
• Bombs - unguided
• Contractors
• Glossary
• Guns - integral and mounted
• Guns - podded systems
• Underwater weapons - mines and depth charges
• Underwater weapons - torpedoes
• Underwater weapons - unclassified projects

Commonly Used Terms
active electronically scanned array (radar), advanced anti-radiation guided missile, advanced cruise missile, advanced medium-range air-to-air missile, advanced precision kill weapons system, advanced short-range air-to-air missile, advanced surface-to-air missile, advanced technology demonstrator, advanced unitary penetrator, affordable moving surface target engagement, air intercept missile (US), air weapons group, airborne laser or anti-blindé léger (light anti-armour), airborne tactical laser, airborne warning and control system, air-launched anti-radar missile, air-launched cruise missile, air-launched decoy, air-launched target, air-sol longue portée (air-to-surface long range), air-sol moyenne portée (air-to-surface medium range), air-to-air, air-to-air missile, air-to-air missile (China), air-to-air Mistral, air-to-air Starstreak, air-to-air Stinger, air-to-ground missile, air-to-surface, air-to-surface missile, air-to-surface missile (China), air-to-surface missile (Russia), alternating current, anti-helicopter mine, anti-personnel anti-material, anti-radar missile, anti-radar missile Matra, anti-submarine rocket, anti-submarine weapon (or warfare), anti-tank, anti-tank guided missile, anti-tank guided weapon, arme propulsée à charges éjectables (powered dispenser system), armement air-sol modulare (modular air-to-surface weapon), armoured fighting vehicle, armoured personnel carrier, armour-piercing discarding sabot, armour-piercing discarding sabot with tracer, armour-piercing explosive, armour-piercing high explosive, armour-piercing high explosive and incendiary, armour-piercing incendiary tracer, armour-piercing or anti-personnel, armour-piercing practice with tracer, armour-piercing with tracer, askolochnayo aviabomba (fragmentation bomb) (Russia), automatic grenade launcher, autonomous free-flight dispenser system, betonoboynaya aviabomba (penetration bomb) (Russia), beyond visual range, beyond visual range air-to-air missile (Meteor), bomb and rocket dispenser, bomb damage assessment, bomb impact assessment, bomb live unit (submunitions) (US), bomb Royal Ordnance augmented charge, bombes anti-personnel (anti-personnel bomb), bombes d'appui tactique (tactical support bomb), braked retarded parachute, braked retarded parachute - super, broneboynaya aviabomba (armour-piercing bomb) (Russia), built-in test equipment, cadmium mercury telluride (IR detector), carboxy-terminated polybutadiene (solid propellant), cased telescoped ammunition, charge coupled device (TV camera), circular error of probability, cluster bomb or chemical/biological, cluster bomb unit (US), cluster weapon system, combined effects munition, commercial off-the-shelf, continuous wave, conventional air-launched cruise missile, conventional cruise missile, data storage unit (missile fuze), Defence Research and Development Organisation (India), Defence Science and Technology Organisation (Australia), Délégation Générale pour l'Armement (France), demolition, Department of Defense (US), depleted uranium, detection and control unit, direct current, dispenser weapon system, dual role air dominance missile, dual-mode laser guided bomb, ejector release unit, electromagnetic pulse, electronic counter-countermeasures, electronic countermeasures, electronic intelligence, electronic safe arm and fire, electronic support measures, electronic warfare, electro-optical, electrostatic discharge, engineering and manufacturing development, enhanced guided bomb unit (dual-mode), explosive reacting armour, explosively formed projectile, fibre optic cable, fibre optic guided, field of view, financial year, fiscal year, flechette anti-tank, focal plane array, focussed lethality munition, folding-fin aircraft rocket, foreign object damage, former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, forward-looking infra-red, frequency modulated, fuel/air aero cargo bomb, fugansnaya aviabomba (general purpose bomb) (Russia), full-scale development, future anti-ship guided weapon, fuze munition unit (bomb fuze), general purpose, glass reinforced plastic, global positioning system (formerly NAVSTAR), GPS aided targeting system/GPS aided munition, GPS guided munition, ground-launched cruise missile, ground-launched target (US), guidance and control section, guided bomb unit (US), gun aircraft unit (US), gun pod unit, hard target smart fuse, hardened aircraft shelter, haut subsonique optiquement teleguidé tiré d'un tube (high subsonic optically guided fired from a tube), hazards of electromagnetic radiation to ordnance, head-up display, heavy machine gun pod, hélicoptère d'appui protection (helicopter defence), helmet-mounted sight, high drag (bombs), high explosive, high explosive, high explosive (insensitive), high explosive anti-tank and anti-personnel, high frequency, high performance blast bomb (Germany), high performance penetrator (Germany), high-altitude endurance, high-explosive, high-explosive anti-tank, high-explosive armour-piercing and incendiary, high-explosive dual-purpose, high-explosive incendiary, high-explosive incendiary semi-armour-piercing, high-explosive incendiary tracer, high-speed anti-radar missile, home-on-jam, horsepower, hydroxl-terminated polybutadiene binder (solid propellant), hypervelocity missile, hypervelocity rocket, imaging infra-red, individual aerial intercept guided missile (shoulder-launched SAM) (US), inertial measurement unit, inertial navigation system, infra-red, infra-red counter-countermeasures, infra-red countermeasures, infra-red search and track, inhibited red fuming nitric acid (liquid rocket oxidiser), intermediate-range nuclear forces, Japan Self-Defense Force, joint air-to-surface standoff missile, joint common missile, joint direct attack munition, joint helmet-mounted cueing system, joint standoff weapon, joint supersonic cruise missile, khimicheskayo aviabomba (chemical air-launched bomb) (Russia), kilotons (nuclear yield), kinetic energy missile, kinetic energy penetrator, kinetic energy penetrator destroyer, knots indicated air speed, knots true air speed, laser-guided bomb, laser-guided training round, launcher armament unit, light airborne multipurpose system, light helicopter, light machine gun, low drag (bombs), low-altitude dispenser, low-altitude navigation and targeting infra-red night, low-cost miniature cruise missile, low-level laser-guided bomb, low-rate initial production, Mach number, machine gun, main battle tank, massive ordnance air blast, massive ordnance penetrator, mean time between failures, memorandum of understanding, millimetric-wave, mine countermeasures, miniature air-launched decoy, miniature air-launched interceptor, minimum rounds before stoppage, Ministry of Defence (UK), missile design bureau (Russia), missile d'interception et de combat aérien (combat and air intercept missile), mission control system, modular dispenser system, modular standoff vehicle, modular standoff weapon, modular standoff weapon, multifunction bomb fuse, multiple ejector rack, multiple launch rocket system, multiple or modular rocket launcher, multiple-launch environment surface attack missile (US), multipurpose submunition, munition deployed bomb damage assessment, Naval Weapons Center (US), Near-Term Improvement Programme, new ship missile, nochnaya orientirno signal aviatsionnaya bomba (night orientation marker aircraft bomb) (Russia), North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, Norwegian advanced surface-to-air missile system, oskolochnaya fugasnaya aviabomba (fragmentation demolition bomb) (Russia), parachute retarded (Russia), passive attack weapon, penetration high-explosive incendiary, People's Liberation Army Air Force (China), People's Republic of China, permissive action link, polymer bonded explosive, precision guided bomb (Paveway IV), precision guided munition, preformed fragmentation, product improvement programme, protivosamalotnaya aviabomba (air-launched cluster weapon) (Russia), Protivotankovaya aviabomba (anti-tank bomb) (Russia), pulse repetition frequency (radar), radio frequency, ramjet vehicle (France), rasseivanie bomba kenteyner (cluster bomb) (Russia), reduced smoke, reliable replacement warhead, remotely piloted vehicle, reprogrammable microprocessor, request for proposals, risk reduction phase, robot (missile) (Sweden), robust nuclear earth penetrator, rocket assisted take-off, rocket management system, Royal Air Force (UK), safety and arming unit, satellite communications, selected precision effects at range, semi-active laser, semi-armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary, semi-armour-piercing or sensing and processing unit, semi-automatic command to line of sight, sensor fuzed weapon, service life extension programme, ship-launched surface attack missile (US), ship-launched surface-to-air missile (US), short-range air-to-air missile, short-range attack missile, side-looking airborne radar, silent hard kill, Small Contained Area Laser Precision Energetic Load, small diameter bomb, smart precise impact and cost effective, staff requirement, standoff high speed option for counterproliferation, standoff land attack missile, stored chemical energy propulsion system, submarine-launched cruise missile, submarine-launched surface attack missile (US), subsonic cruise armed decoy, suppression of enemy air defences, surface-launched target (US), surface-to-air missile, surveilling miniaturized air launched cruise missile, suspended underwing unit (US), synthetic aperture radar, système de croisière conventional autonome à longue portée de précision (long-range precision cruise missile system), tactical land attack missile, tactical munitions dispenser, target detecting device (missile fuze), target identification and acquisition system, television, terminally guided submunition, terrain navigation, terrain-comparison, third generation anti-tank (missile), through life support, torpedo torpedo killer, tourelle hélicoptère léger (light helicopter turret), training practice, training practice, tracer, transporter-erector-launcher, travelling wave tube, triple ejector rack, tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided, ultraviolet, United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, unmanned aerial system, unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned combat aerial system, unmanned combat aerial vehicle, unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (liquid rocket fuel), warhead unit (US), white phosphorus, wind corrected munitions dispenser, wraparound fin aerial rocket, zazhigatelnaya aviabomba (incendiary bomb) (Russia).

Sections

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