AIM-26 Falcon

TheAIM-26 Falconwas a larger, more powerful version of theAIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missilebuilt byHughes.It is the only guided American air-to-air missile with anuclear warheadto be produced; the unguidedAIR-2 Genierocket was also nuclear-armed.

Development[edit]

Starting in 1956Hughes Electronicsbegan the development of an enlarged version of theGAR-1D Falconthat would carry anuclear warhead.It was intended to provide a sure kill in attacks onSovietheavybomber aircraft,at a time when guided missiles were not accurate enough to produce high-probability kills with small conventional warheads. The original development was forsemi-active radar homingandheat-seekingversions based on the conventional GAR-1/GAR-2 weapons, under the designationsGAR-5andGAR-6,respectively. The original program was cancelled.

The program was revived in 1959, now under the nameGAR-11.It entered service in 1961, carried byAir Defense Command F-102 Delta Daggerinterceptors.^[1]It used a radarproximity fuzeandsemi-active radar homing.The GAR-11 used a sub-kiloton (250 ton) yieldW54warhead shared with the"Davy Crockett" M388 recoilless rifle projectile,^[2]rather than the largerW25warhead of theAIR-2 Genie.^[3]

Out of concern for the problems inherent in using nuclear weapons over friendly territory, a conventional version, theGAR-11A,was developed, using a 40 lb (18 kg) explosive warhead.

Conventional warhead[edit]

As part of a wider Army/Navy/Air Force renaming project, in 1963 the weapon was redesignatedAIM-26.The nuclear version became theAIM-26A,the conventional model theAIM-26B.From 1970 to 1972 the nuclear warheads of the AIM-26A weapons were rebuilt for the nuclear version of theAGM-62 WalleyeTV guided bomb.

The AIM-26 saw little widespread use in American service, retiring in 1972. The conventional AIM-26B was exported to Switzerland as theHM-55,where it was used on SwissMirage IIISfighters. The AIM-26B was produced underlicense(and modified) in Sweden as theRb 27,armingSaab DrakenJ-35F and 35J fighters. It was retired in 1998. When Finland bought Drakens, the license-manufactured Swedish Falcons were included.

Specifications (GAR-11/AIM-26A)[edit]

Length:84.25 in (2.140 m)
Wingspan:24.4 in (62 cm)
Diameter:11.4 in (29 cm)
Weight:203 lb (92 kg)
Speed:Mach 2
Range:6 mi (9.7 km)
Guidance:semi-active radar homing
Warhead:W54nuclear, explosive yield 250 t TNT equivalent

Surviving Examples[edit]

Below is an incomplete list of museums which have an AIM-26 in their collection:

Museum of Aviation,Warner Robins, Georgia(AIM-26 A)
National Museum of Naval Aviation,Naval Air Station Pensacola,Florida(AIM-26 A)
DVHAA Historical Aircraft Museum,Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove,Pennsylvania(AIM-26 A)
Suomen ilmavoimamuseo /Finnish Air Force Museum,Finland (AIM-26 B / RB 27)
Robotmuseum /Robot MuseumArboga, Sweden (AIM-26 B / RB 27)
Västerås Flygmuseum /Västerås Aviation MuseumVästerås, Sweden (AIM-26 B / RB 27)

References[edit]

^Hansen 1988,pp. 146.
^Hansen, Chuck(1988).US Nuclear Weapons: The Secret History.Aerofax. pp. 105–107, 146, 178–179, 198.ISBN 0517567407.
^Hansen 1988,pp. 176–178.

[FOOTNOTEHansen1988146-1] Hansen 1988,pp. 146.

[Hansen,_W54-2] Hansen, Chuck(1988).US Nuclear Weapons: The Secret History.Aerofax. pp. 105–107, 146, 178–179, 198.ISBN 0517567407.

[FOOTNOTEHansen1988176–178-3] Hansen 1988,pp. 176–178.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e 1963 United States Tri-Service missile designations,1963–present
1–50	MGM-1 RIM-2 MIM-3 AIM-4 MGM-5 RGM-6 AIM-7 RIM-7 RIM-8 AIM-9 CIM-10 PGM-11 AGM-12 CGM-13/MGM-13 MIM-14 RGM-15 CGM-16 PGM-17 MGM-18 PGM-19 ADM-20 MGM-21 AGM-22 MIM-23 RIM-24 HGM-25A LGM-25C AIM-26 UGM-27 AGM-28 MGM-29 LGM-30 MGM-31A/B(MGM-31C) MGM-32 MQM-33 AQM-34 AQM-35 (I) LGM-35 (II) MQM-36 AQM-37 AQM-38 MQM-39 MQM-40 AQM-41 MQM-42 FIM-43 UUM-44 AGM-45 MIM-46 AIM-47 AGM-48 XLIM-49 LIM-49 RIM-50
51–100	MGM-51 MGM-52 AGM-53 AIM-54 RIM-55 PQM-56 MQM-57 MQM-58 RGM-59 AQM-60 MQM-61 AGM-62 AGM-63 AGM-64 AGM-65 RIM-66 RIM-67 AIM-68 AGM-69 LEM-70 BGM-71 MIM-72 UGM-73 BQM-74 BGM-75 AGM-76 FGM-77 AGM-78 AGM-79 AGM-80 AQM-81 AIM-82 AGM-83 AGM-84/RGM-84/UGM-84 AGM-84E AGM-84H/K RIM-85 AGM-86 AGM-87 AGM-88 UGM-89 BQM-90 AQM-91 FIM-92 "AIM-92" XQM-93 YQM-94 AIM-95 UGM-96 AIM-97 YQM-98 LIM-99 LIM-100
101–150	RIM-101 PQM-102 AQM-103 MIM-104 MQM-105 BQM-106 MQM-107 BQM-108 BGM-109/AGM-109/RGM-109/UGM-109 BGM-109G BGM-110 BQM-111 AGM-112 RIM-113 AGM-114 MIM-115 RIM-116 FQM-117 LGM-118 AGM-119 AIM-120 CQM-121/CGM-121 AGM-122 AGM-123 AGM-124 RUM-125/UUM-125 BQM-126 AQM-127 AQM-128 AGM-129 AGM-130 AGM-131 AIM-132 UGM-133 MGM-134 ASM-135 AGM-136 AGM-137 CEM-138 RUM-139 MGM-140 ADM-141 AGM-142 MQM-143 ADM-144 BQM-145 MIM-146 BQM-147 FGM-148 PQM-149 PQM-150
151–200	FQM-151 AIM-152 AGM-153 AGM-154 BQM-155 RIM-156 MGM-157 AGM-158A/B AGM-158C AGM-159 ADM-160 RIM-161 RIM-162 GQM-163 MGM-164 RGM-165 MGM-166 BQM-167 MGM-168 AGM-169 MQM-170 MQM-171 FGM-172 GQM-173 RIM-174/AIM-174 MQM-175 AGM-176 BQM-177 MQM-178 AGM-179 AGM-180 AGM-181 LGM-182 AGM-183 RGM-184 MQM-185 MQM-186 AGM-187
201–	AIM-260 MIM-401
Undesignated	Aequare ASALM Brazo Common Missile GBI HALO HACM Have Dash JSM KEI LREW LRHW MA-31 MSDM NCADE NLOS OpFires PrSM Senior Prom Sprint Wagtail M30 GMLRS/M31 GMLRS-U GLSDB
See also: United States tri-service rocket designations post-1963 Drones designated in UAV sequence

v t e United States Air Forcesystem numbers
100–199	100 101 P 102 103 104 105 106¹ 107 A-1 A-2 108¹ 109¹ 110 111¹ 112 113¹ 114¹ 115¹ 116¹ 117 L M 118 A L P 119 C/F E L T Y 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127¹ 128 129 130 131 132 A B 133 134¹ 135 136¹ 137¹ 138 139 140 141¹ 142 143–197¹ 198 199 B C D Y
200–299	200 201 A/L B/W E 202 203¹ 204 205 206 207¹ 208 209¹ 210 211¹ 212 213 214 215¹ 216 217 218 219¹ 220 221 222 A G 223¹ 224 225¹ 226 227–238¹ 239 240–278¹ 279 280–298¹ 299
300–399	300 301¹ 302 303 304¹ 305¹ 306 A/L B 307 308 309 310¹ 311¹ 312¹ 313¹ 314 315 A-1 A-2 316 317 318¹ 319 320¹ 321 322¹ 323 324 L M/N 325 326 327 E 328 E 329 F 330¹ 331¹ 332¹ 333¹ 334¹ 335 336 337 338–379¹ 380 A/B/E/F/N P 381–397¹ 398 399 A B
400–499	400 B/C/N E G/H M 401 402 403¹ 404 405 B C D 406¹ 407 408¹ 409¹ 410 E L 411 E L 412 413 414 L M 415 416 L M (I) M (II) P Q 417 418 L M 419¹ 420 L/W 421¹ 422 423 424 425 426 L M 427 L M 428 A L 429 430 431 G (I) G (II) 432 433 434 435 A L 436 437 438 439 440 441 A D L 442 443 444¹ 445 L M 446 447 448¹ 449¹ 450 451 D L 452 453 454¹ 455 456 457¹ 458 459 460 L 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 L (I) L (II) 472 473 474 L N 475¹ 476 E 477 478 A T 479¹ 480 481 L 482 E L M/Z 483 484 L M N 485 L Z 486 487 488 489 490 L M 491¹ 492 493 494 495 L (I) L (II) 496 497 A L (I) L 498 A C D E L 499 A C D
500–599	500 501–519¹ 520 521–529¹ 530 531–541¹ 542 543–549¹ 550 A E 551–559¹ 560 A F 561–569¹ 570 571–579¹ 580 A E 581–589¹ 590 591 592 593–599¹
600–699	600 601 A L 602 A L 603 A L 604 605 606 607 608¹ 609 610¹ 611¹ 612¹ 613¹ 614 615¹ 616 617¹ 618 619¹ 620 621 A/B (I) B (II) 622 623 624 625 626¹ 627 628¹ 629¹ 630¹ 631¹ 632 633 634 A B 635 636¹ 637¹ 638 639 640 641 642 643 644¹ 645¹ 646¹ 647¹ 648 A D P 649 A B C D E F L P 650 651 652 653¹ 654¹ 655 A (I) A (II) P 656 657¹ 658¹ 659¹ 660 661 662¹ 663¹ 664 665 A (I) A (II) 666 A C/P 667 668 669¹ 670 671¹ 672 A M/P 673¹ 674 675 676¹ 677¹ 678¹ 679 680 681 D E 682¹ 683 A J V 684¹ 685 686 687 J P 688¹ 689¹ 690 691 C X Z 692¹ 693 694¹ 695 A B C L N P Q R S (I) S (II) 696¹ 697¹ 698¹ 699¹
700–799	700–735¹ 736 737¹ 738¹ 739¹ 740¹ 741 742 743 744¹ 745 746–753¹ 754 755–799¹
800–899	800¹ 801¹ 802 L (I) L (II) 803¹ 804¹ 805¹ 806 807 808–816¹ 817 818¹ 819¹ 820¹ 821¹ 822¹ 823 824–831¹ 832 833¹ 834 835–845¹ 846 847–899¹
900–999	900–951¹ 952 853¹ 854¹ 855¹ 956 957–967¹ 968
¹Unknown or not assigned

Development[edit]

Conventional warhead[edit]

Specifications (GAR-11/AIM-26A)[edit]

Surviving Examples[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]