AGM-130
Unofficial
names/slang: n/a
Function:
Air-to-Ground Guided and Powered Bomb
Date
deployed: 1994
Contractor:
Boeing
Unit cost:
approx. $450,000
Length:
12' - 11" (3.97m)
Wingspan:
4' - 11" (1.51m)
Diameter:
main body: 1' - 3" (0.39m); nose section: 1' -
6" (0.46m)
Speed:
unavailable
Weight at
launch: 2,900 lbs. (1,312) kg
Guidance:
Television or Infrared seeker
Range:
40+ mi.
Engine:
Solid
propellant rocket motor
Warhead:
MK-84: 945 lbs.; BLU-109: 535 lbs. |
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Mission:
The AGM-130 is a powered air-to-surface missile
designed for high- and low-altitude strikes at
standoff ranges against a variety of targets.
Features: Carrying forward the modular
concept of the GBU-15 guided weapon system, the
AGM-130 employs a rocket motor for extended range
and an altimeter for altitude control. The AGM-130
provides a significantly increased standoff range
than the GBU-15. The AGM-130 has to two variants,
based on the warhead. The AGM-130A is a MK-84
blast/fragmentation warhead and the AGM-130C is a
BLU-109 penetrator.
The AGM-130 is equipped with either a
television or an imaging infrared seeker and data
link. The seeker provides the launch aircraft a
visual presentation of the target as seen from the
weapon. During free flight this presentation is
transmitted by the AXQ-14 data-link system to the
aircraft cockpit monitor.
The seeker can be either locked onto the
target before or after launch for automatic weapon
guidance, or it can be manually steered by a weapon
systems officer. Manual steering is performed
through the two-way data link.
The AGM-130 is designed for use in the F-15E
aircraft. Development of the AGM-130 began in 1984
as a product improvement of the GBU-15 guided glide
bomb.
Background: For the primary mode of
operation, the aircraft flies to a pre-briefed
launch position. The survivability of aircraft and
crew is enhanced by launching the weapon at low
altitude and significant standoff range, thus
avoiding detection by enemy air defenses. After
launch, the weapon flies through glide-powered-glide
phases toward the target area with midcourse
guidance updates provided by global positioning
system (GPS) navigational information or by the
weapon systems officer through the data link.
Upon termination of the powered flight phase
the rocket motor is ejected. As the target comes
into view, the weapon systems officer has dual
flexibility in guiding the weapon via the data link.
For automatic terminal homing, the guidance tracker
is locked on target but can be manually updated for
precision bombing. When total manual guidance is
used, the operator manually guides the weapon to the
target aimpoint. For those aircraft not equipped
with a data-link pod, the weapon may be launched in
the direct attack mode.
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