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AIM-7M Capability for the F-4E?


Salty Buckets

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While I don't see anything that's necessarily incompatible (see the spoiler below), looking through -1s and -34-1-1s for USAF F-4Es dated from the mid to late 80s, I don't see the AIM-7M listed.

Spoiler

While the AIM-7M uses an inverse monopulse seeker, I'm fairly sure it doesn't need monopulse-encoded illumination in order to guide, given that it has a HOJ mode that doesn't require the jammer to provide it.

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Iirc the AIM-7M did have the capability to still track with CW guidance which would make it capable with the F-4E without PD radars? Does the CW guidance degrade the performance of the AIM-7Ms overall performance if operating in CW guidance?

But I think I'm getting off track here and may have phrased my question wrong. I'll try to rephrase my question:

Does Heatblur plan on adding the AIM-7M to the F-4E?  

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17 minutes ago, Salty Buckets said:

Iirc the AIM-7M did have the capability to still track with CW guidance which would make it capable with the F-4E without PD radars? Does the CW guidance degrade the performance of the AIM-7Ms overall performance if operating in CW guidance?

But I think I'm getting off track here and may have phrased my question wrong. I'll try to rephrase my question:

Does Heatblur plan on adding the AIM-7M to the F-4E?  

They've not made a specific annoucement. And less a question of capability of the missile, more a question of the wiring on the F-4. Might just be physically incapable of providing the power to the missile, or they might of changed some connectors, or any myriad things that just make it impossible. If I had to guess no.

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Based on related research I did on the AIM-7s used by Irans F-14A , the later AIM-7s update guidance logic and performance wasn’t compatible with earlier radars. So there’d be no advantage shooting a later Sparrow for an Iranian F-14 or 1970s era F-4E. To gain the benefit of an AIM-7M, you need the pulse doppler radar. 

This is why the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force adapted the HAWK surface to air missile for the F-14; it’s constant wave receiver was compatible with the F-14s emitter, and obviously being embargoed on Sparrows made the HAWK a good substitute. 

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I believe the F-4E could only go up to F. Some modernized E like the F-4EJ and Turkish Terminator 2000 can mount Aim-7m. I believe other modernized versions like the Greek F-4E ice actually eliminated it. The British F-4 could use Sky Flash which had a similar guidance to AIM-7M. AWG-10 is pulse Doppler so it might be possible for the F-4J and F-4S to fire AIM-7M. Note some platforms that are supposedly unable to support Inverse monopulse missiles can actually fire they, just they are fired like a conical scanning missile. So if you fired an AIM-7M it fires like an AIM-7F.

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I did the research @Salty Buckets;

 

While the ARN-101/DMAS Upgrade packages did a lot to upgrade the F-4E's electronics capabilities, to the best of my research they did not add the AIM-7M Sparrow nor the electronics required to have the radar interface with its improved monopulse seeker. The AN/APG-120 radar is smaller, and while it is solid state to help stay intact even when a Vulcan in the nose is fired, it does not have compatibility with these missiles that the larger PD radars on British Phantoms were upgraded to do.

 

To the best of my knowledge neither the F-4S nor F-4J in US service recieved such upgrades either. The only Phantoms upgraded to carry missiles with monopulse seekers are therefore either the UK Phantoms or F-4E/EJs in other countries that were later retrofitted with more advanced radars, such as AN/APG-65 (ICE/HELLAS) or AN/APG-66 (EJ Kai), which could fire these missiles in their original installtions on other more advanced aircraft.

 

Regards,

 

Aussie_Mantis

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