AIM-47 Falcon | |
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Type | Air-to-air missile |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
Used by | United States Air Force (testing) |
Production history | |
Designer | Hughes Aircraft |
Designed | 1957-1966 |
Specifications (XAIM-47A) | |
Mass | 371 kg (818 lb) |
Length | 3.82 m (12 ft 6.5 in) |
Diameter | 343 mm (13.5 in) |
Wingspan | 838 mm (33 in) |
Warhead | 100 lb (45 kg) |
Detonation mechanism | Proximity fuse |
Engine | Lockheed XSR13-LP-1 |
Propellant | Solid fuel rocket |
Operational range | 100 mi (87 nmi; 160 km) |
Maximum speed | Mach 4 |
Guidance system | Semi-active radar homing, terminal infrared homing |
Launch platform | Lockheed YF-12, North American XF-108 Rapier |
The Hughes AIM-47 Falcon, originally GAR-9, was a very long-range high-performance air-to-air missile that shared the basic design of the earlier AIM-4 Falcon. It was developed in 1958 along with the new Hughes AN/ASG-18 radar fire-control system intended to arm the Mach 3 XF-108 Rapier interceptor aircraft and, after that jet's cancellation, the YF-12A (whose production was itself cancelled after only 3 vehicles). It was never used operationally, but was a direct predecessor of the AIM-54 Phoenix used on the Grumman F-14 Tomcat.