AGM-78 Standard ARM

See also: Standard Missile

Air-to-surface anti-radiation missile

AGM-78 Standard ARM

Type| Air-to-surface anti-radiation missile
Place of origin| United States
Service history
In service| 1968–1988
Wars| Vietnam War
Production history
Designed| 1967
Produced| 1967–1976
No. built| 3,000+
Specifications
Mass| 620 kg (1370 lb)
Length| 4.57 m (15 ft)
Diameter| 34.3 cm (13.5 in)
Wingspan| 108 cm (42.5 in)
Warhead weight| 97 kg (215 lb) blast-fragmentation

* * *

Engine| Aerojet MK 27 MOD 4 dual-thrust solid-fueled rocket

Operational
range

| 90 km (56 mi)
Maximum speed | Mach 1.8

Guidance
system

| Passive radar homing

Launch
platform

| A-6B/E Intruder, F-105G Thunderchief, F-4G Phantom II

The AGM-78 Standard ARM or STARM[1] was an anti-radiation missile developed by General Dynamics, United States. It was built on the airframe of the RIM-66 Standard surface-to-air missile, resulting in a very large weapon with considerable range, allowing it to attack targets as much as 50 miles (80 km) away.

## Overview

[edit]

Originally developed for the US Navy during the late 1960s, the AGM-78 was created in large part because of the limitations of the AGM-45 Shrike, which suffered from a small warhead, limited range and a poor guidance system. General Dynamics was asked to create an air-launched ARM by modifying the RIM-66 SM-1 surface-to-air missile. This use of an "off the shelf" design greatly reduced development costs, and trials of the new weapon began in 1967 after only a year of development. The first operational missiles were issued in early 1968.

The AGM-78 was known as the STARM by the U.S. Navy, an abbreviation of Standard ARM.[1] The first version of the missile, the AGM-78A-1 or STARM Mod 0, was little more than an air-launched RIM-66 with the Shrike's anti radar seeker head attached to the front. An Aerojet Mark 27 MOD 4 dual-thrust solid-rocket-powered the missile, which was fitted with a blast-fragmentation warhead. Although more capable, the AGM-78 was much more expensive than the AGM-45 Shrike which continued in service for some time. The new missile was carried by the F-105F/G and the A-6B/E.

## Variants

[edit]

A 6010th WWS F-105G taking off to North Vietnam, 1971. Israeli Keres AGM-78 Standard ARM launcher at IAF Museum

An inert training version of the AGM-78A was built as ATM-78A. Of equal size, mass and shape, the missile lacked a seeker head, warhead, or propulsion systems and was essentially just a dead weight.

An A-2 model introduced a bomb damage assessment (BDA) capability and an SDU-6/B phosphorus target marker flare to facilitate targeting of the site for follow-up attacks.

In 1969 an improved model called the AGM-78B was produced. This featured a broadband seeker which allowed the missile to be used against a much wider variety of targets without having to select the seeker before the mission. A simple memory circuit was also included, allowing the missile to attack a target once it locked on, even if the radar was shut down. Previous ARMs would veer off course and miss when they lost a target, and as a result flipping the radar on and off had become a standard tactic for missile batteries.

Some early AGM-78A-1s were updated with the new memory circuit and seeker. These missiles were designated as the AGM-78A-4. The AGM-78B was the most important version of the missile, and was widely used by the Air Force's F-4G Phantom II Wild Weasel aircraft.

A training version of the AGM-78B was created, and was known as the ATM-78B.

In the early 1970s the AGM-78C was produced. A US Air Force project, the C model was primarily intended to be more reliable and cheaper to build. It had a SDU-29/B white phosphorus target marker. Some older missiles were upgraded to the AGM-78C standard. As before, an ATM-78C training missile was produced.

Between 1973 and 1976 the AGM-78D was produced, introducing a new motor. A follow-up missile, the AGM-78D-2, had an active optical fuze, still greater reliability, and a new 100 kg (220 lb) blast-fragmentation warhead. The ATM-78D training missile followed.

The RGM-66D shipborne anti-radiation missile used the basic AGM-78 airframe along with features of the RIM-66 and AIM-97 Seekbat air-to-air missile.

Including all versions, over 3,000 AGM-78 missiles were built. Production stopped in the late 1970s, but the missile continued in service for almost a decade before the last examples were replaced by the AGM-88 HARM in the late 1980s.

Map with operators of the AGM-78 Standard ARM in blue

## Operators

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*  United States
* Israel
* Iran

## See also

[edit]

* AIM-174B Gunslinger \- another air-launched Standard Missile variant

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "General Dynamics AGM-78 Standard ARM". www.designation-systems.net. Retrieved 2024-07-12.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to AGM-78 Standard ARM.

* USAF Museum AGM-78 factsheet
* Designation-systems.net

* v
* t
* e

Standard family of missiles

Surface-to-air missiles|

* RIM-66 medium range SAM
* RIM-67 extended range SAM
* RIM-156 extended range SAM
* RIM-161 anti-ballistic missile
* RIM-174 Standard ERAM

Anti-radiation missiles|

* AGM-78 Anti-radiation

Surface-to-surface missiles|

* RGM-165 LASM

Air-to-air missiles|

* XAIM-97A Seekbat
* AIM-174B Gunslinger

* List of missiles
* List of surface-to-air missiles

* 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
* AGM-109/BGM-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-174B
* 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
* GLSDB
* HACM
* HALO
* Have Dash
* JSM
* KEI
* LREW
* LRHW
* M30 GMLRS/M31 GMLRS-U
* MA-31
* MSDM
* NCADE
* NLOS
* OpFires
* PrSM
* Senior Prom
* Sprint
* SiAW
* Wagtail

* See also:
* United States tri-service rocket designations post-1963
* Drones designated in UAV sequence

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