Brazo
| Brazo | |
|---|---|
 Brazo/PAVE ARM missile | |
| Type | Anti-radiation missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United States Air Force;United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1972-1973 |
| Manufacturer | Hughes Aircraft |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 12.0 feet (3.66 m) |
| Diameter | 8 inches (200 mm) |
| Wingspan | 3.3 feet (1.02 m) |
| Warhead | Continuous rod |
| Warhead weight | 65 pounds (29 kg) |
| Engine | Rocketdyne Mk 38 |
| Propellant | Solid fuel |
Operational range | 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi) |
| Maximum speed | Mach4 |
TheBrazo(/ˈbrɑːsoʊ/) missile was an American project of the 1970s, intended to produce ananti-radiation missilefor air-to-air use. Developed byHughes Aircraftand based on theAIM-7 Sparrowair-to-air missile,the Brazo underwent a series of successful test firings; however, the program was terminated at the end of its test program.
Design and development
[edit]A joint development project between Hughes Aircraft and theUnited States Navy,[1]the Brazo missile (named as a pun by one of the project's Navy developers, aHispanic;"Brazo" is Spanish for "Arm", the acronym for an Anti-Radiation Missile[2]) project was initiated in 1972, as a proof-of-concept demonstration of the utility of an air-to-air, anti-radar missile.[1]In 1973, theUnited States Air Force's Pave Arm project, a program with similar goals, was merged into the Brazo program, with the Air Force assuming responsibility for testing the missile.[3]
The first air-to-air anti-radiation missile developed by the United States,[4]the Brazo utilised the airframe of the existingAIM-7E Sparrowair-to-air missile, fitted with a new, Hughes-builtpassive radarseeker head developed by theNaval Electronics Center.[5]The seeker was intended to detect and home on enemy radar emissions, such as those on interceptor andAWACSaircraft.[6]
Operational history
[edit]The first test firing of the Brazo missile was conducted in April 1974, with the missile, launched from a USAFF-4D Phantom II,[7]successfully shooting down aBQM-34 Firebeedrone; four follow-up tests over the following year continued the missile's successful record, with none of the test shots failing[1]despite difficult test conditions.[3]However, despite the Brazo's success, the follow-on ERASE (Electro-magnetic RAdiation Source Elimination) project was cancelled,[8]and no air-to-air antiradiation missiles would enter service in the West.[9]
See also
[edit]- R-27 (air-to-air missile)– (Soviet Union)
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Bidewell, Shelford (1978).World War 3: A Military Projection Founded on Today's Facts.London: Hamlyn Publishing Group.ISBN978-0-600-39416-7.
- Fitzsimons, Bernard (1978).The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare.Columbia House.ISBN9780839361756.
- Friedman, Norman (1982).U.S. Naval Weapons: Every gun, missile mine and torpedo used by the US Navy from 1883 to the present day.Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-0-87021-735-7.
- Gunston, Bill(1977).F-4 Phantom.New York: Scribner.ISBN978-0-684-15298-1.
- Morison, Samuel L.; John S. Rowe (1975).The Ships & Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet(10th ed.). Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute.ISBN0-87021-639-2.
- Parsch, Andreas (2003)."Hughes Brazo".Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles.designation-systems.net.Retrieved2010-12-29.
- Stevenson, James Perry (2001).The $5 Billion Misunderstanding: The Collapse of the Navy's A-12 Stealth Bomber Program.Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-1-55750-777-8.
- Sweetman, Bill(1987).Advanced Fighter Technology: The Future of Cockpit Combat.Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International.ISBN978-0-87938-265-0.