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Missles/Bombs

Tomahawk cruise missile

Used for long-range, subsonic land-attack warfare.

Unit cost: About $1 million
Power plant: Williams International F107-WR-402 cruise turbo-fan engine; solid-fuel booster
Length: 18 feet, 3 inches; with booster: 20 feet, 6 inches
Diameter: 20.4 inches
Wing Span: 8 feet, 9 inches
Range: Land attack, conventional warhead: 600 nautical miles; 690 statute miles
Speed: Subsonic - about 550 mph
Guidance System: Inertial and TERCOM
Warheads: Conventional: 1,000 pounds bullpup or conventional submunitions dispenser with combined effect bomblets.

Air Launched Cruise Missile

The ALCS is launched from B-52 or B-1B bombers and is capable of flying thousands of miles while hugging terrain and evading radar. It is considered, with the Navy's Tomahawk, the most accurate missile in existence. However, the ALCS is capable of delivering a warhead twice the size of that on the Tomahawk -- 2,000 pounds as opposed to 1,000 pounds.

Patriot air-defense missiles

The Patriot anti-missile gained fame during the Gulf War, when the missiles were used extensively in an effort to protect Israel and coalition bases in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain from Iraqi Scud missile attacks. Their effectiveness then was not great but since they have been improved. The United States has been working with Israeli engineers on a next generation anti-missile system known as the Arrow.

AGM-88 HARM missile system

Used for air-to-surface anti-radiation attacks on hostile radar installations
Unit cost: $284,000
Power plant: Thiokol dual-thrust, solid propellant, rocket motor
Length: 13 feet, 8 inches
Launch Weight: 800 pounds
Diameter: 10 inches
Wing Span:3 feet, 8 inches
Range: 80+ miles; 57+ nautical miles
Speed: 760+ mph
Guidance:Proportional/radar homing
Warhead: Blast fragmentation; warhead weight 146 pounds
AGM-65 Maverick guided missile

Air-to-surface, laser-guided missile is used to attack and destroy armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation and fuel installations.

Unit cost: $22,387
Power plant: Thiokol TX-481 two stage, solid propellant, rocket motor
Length: 8 feet, 2 inches
Launch Weight: From 462 pounds to 670 pounds depending upon model and warhead weight
Diameter: 12 inches
Wing Span: 2 feet, 4 inches
Range: 16.8 miles
Speed: Classified
Guidance: Electro-optical in A and B models; infrared imaging in D and G models; laser guided in E models; infrared homing in F models.
Warhead: Contact fuse, 300 pounds; delayed fuse penetrator, heavyweight, 300 pounds.

AIM-9 Sidewinder missile

Used as a heat-seeking, air-to-air missile.
Unit cost: $41,300
Power plant: Thiokol Hercules and Bermite MK 36 Mod 11; single-stage, solid-propellant rocket motor
Length: 9 feet, 6 inches
Diameter: 5 inches
Fin Span: 2 feet, 1 inch
Speed: Supersonic
Warhead: Blast fragmentation (conventional)
Weighing: 20.8 pounds
Launch Weight: 190 pounds
Range: 10+ miles
Guidance System: Solid-state infrared homing system
Joint Stand Off Weapon (JSOW)

JSOW is a recently developed family of kinematically efficient, air-to-surface glide weapons, in the 1,000-lb class, that provide standoff capabilities from 15 nautical miles (low-altitude launch) to 40 nautical miles (high-altitude launch). The JSOW will be used against a variety of land and sea targets and will operate from ranges outside enemy-point defenses. The JSOW is a launch-and-leave weapon that employs a tightly coupled Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System, and is capable of day/night and adverse weather operations.

AIM-54 Phoenix missile

Used as a long-range, air-launched air intercept missile
Unit cost: $477,131
Power plant: Solid propellant rocket motor built by Hercules
Length: 13 feet
Weight: 1,024 pounds
Diameter: 15 inches
Wing Span: 3 feet
Range: In excess of 100 nautical miles; 115 statute miles
Speed: In excess of 3,000 mph
Guidance System: Semi-active and active radar homing
Warheads: Proximity fuse, high explosive
Warhead Weight: 135 pounds
Harpoon and Harpoon/SLAM missile systems

Used as an air-, surface- or submarine-launched anti-surface (anti-ship) cruise missile. The AGM-85E used as a surface-launched precision land attack cruise missile.

Unit cost: $720,000
Power plant: Teledyne Turbojet and solid propellant booster for surface and submarine launch.
Thrust: 660 pounds
Length: 12 feet, 7 inches—air launched; 15 feet—surface and submarine launched. SLAM; 14 feet, 8 inches
Weight: 1,145 pounds—air launched; 1,470 pounds—SLAM 1,385 pounds—submarine or ship launched from box or canister launcher
Diameter: 13.5 inches
Wing Span: 3 feet with booster fins and wings
Range: Over-the-horizon, in excess of 60 nautical miles
Speed: High Subsonic
Guidance: Sea-skimming cruise monitored by radar altimeter, active radar terminal homing. SLAM: Inertial navigation with GPS, infrared terminal guidance
Warhead: Penetration high-explosive blast, 488 pounds

Sparrow missile

Used as an air-to-air and surface-to-air radar-guided missile.
Unit cost: $165,400
Power plant: Hercules MK-58 solid-propellant rocket motor
Thrust: Classified
Speed: More than 2,660 mph
Range: More than 30 nautical miles
Length: 12 feet
Diameter: 8 inches
Wingspan: 3 feet 4 inches
Warhead: Annular blast fragmentation warhead, 90 pounds
Launch Weight: Approximately 500 pounds
Guidance System: Raytheon semi-active on continuous wave or pulsed Doppler radar energy
Aircraft Platforms: Navy: F-14 and F/A-18; Air Force: F-4, F-15, and F-16; Marine Corps: F-4 and F/A-18
Bunker busters

The U.S. developed a gigantic bomb whose characteristics remain classified to destroy bunkers of the Iraqi military during the Gulf War. The bomb, which is guided by lasers to its target, is known as a GBU-28 and could be used against caves or deep bunkers in Afghanistan.

Cluster bombs

Cluster bombs -- highly controversial because of the high percentage that do not explode and remain dangerous long after the battle ends -- are generally used against troop formations. The bombs explode, spreading smaller bomblets over a wide area.

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