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Air-to-surface missile. Year: 1969. Family: Sidewinder. Country: USA. Department of Defence Designation: AGM-87A. Popular Name: Focus. Warhead: conventional Historical Essay © Andreas Parsch General Electric AGM-87 Focus In the late 1960s, the Naval Weapons Center (NWC) at China Lake developed a derivative of the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile for air-to-ground use. An unknown number of AIM-9B missiles were converted by General Electric and designated AGM-87A Focus I. The AGM-87A was used in Vietnam during 1969/70 for night attacks against visible IR emitters, such as truck headlights. It is said that the Focus was quite successful in its specialized role, but the program was discontinued for reasons unknown to me. SpecificationsNote: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate! Data for AGM-87A (based on AIM-9B airframe): | Length | 2.83 m (111.5 in) | | Finspan | 0.56 m (22 in) | | Diameter | 12.7 cm (5 in) | | Weight | 70 kg (155 lb) | | Propulsion | Thiokol MK 17 MOD 3 solid-fuel rocket | Main Sources[1] Norman Friedman: "US Naval Weapons", Conway Maritime Press, 1983
[2] Roy A. Grossnick: "United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995", Naval Historical Center, 1997
[3] "DOD 4120.15-L: Model Designation of Military Aerospace Vehicles", Department of Defense, 1974
Manufacturer: General Electric.
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