The AGM-87 Focus was an air-to-surface missile developed by the United States.

Overview

The missile was a development of the

AIM-9B Sidewinder The AIM-9 Sidewinder (where "AIM" stands for "Air Intercept Missile") is a short-range air-to-air missile which entered service with the US Navy in 1956 and subsequently was adopted by the US Air Force in 1964. Since then the Sidewinder has prove ...

air-to-air missile, intended for use against ground targets. Development took place at the

China Lake Naval Weapons Center Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake is a large military installation in California that supports the research, testing and evaluation programs of the United States Navy. It is part of Navy Region Southwest under Commander, Navy Installat ...

during the late 1960s. The infrared homing method of the Sidewinder was retained, as the missile was to be used against targets which emitted an

infrared signature Infrared signature, as used by defense scientists and the military, is the appearance of objects to infrared sensors. An infrared signature depends on many factors, including the shape and size of the object, temperature, and emissivity, reflectio ...

. Typical targets included trucks and other such vehicles. The Focus was used in Vietnam during 1969 and 1970, primarily for night attacks when IR emitters stand out well against the cool background. Although the missile was reportedly quite effective, it was discontinued in favor of other weapons.

Specifications

*''Length'' : 9 ft 3.5 in (2.83 m) *''Finspan'' : 1 ft 10 in (0.56 m) *''Diameter'' : 5 in (12.7 cm) *''Weight'' : 155 lb (70 kg) *''Propulsion'' :

Thiokol Thiokol (variously Thiokol Chemical Corporation(/Company), Morton Thiokol Inc., Cordant Technologies Inc., Thiokol Propulsion, AIC Group, ATK Thiokol, ATK Launch Systems Group; finally Orbital ATK before becoming part of Northrop Grumman) was an ...

MK 17 MOD 3 solid-fuel rocket

External links

* AGM-087 Military equipment introduced in the 1960s {{missile-stub