AIM-7M Sparrow
Contents
Description
The AIM-7M Sparrow is an American semi-active radar-homing air-to-air missile. It was introduced in Update "Apex Predators"
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
| Missile characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Mass | 231 kg |
| Guidance | SARH |
| Signal | CW |
| Lock range | 40 km |
| Launch range | 100 km |
| Maximum speed | 4.0 M |
| Maximum overload | 25 G |
| Missile guidance time | 75 secs |
| Explosive mass | 15.09 kg TNTeq |
Effective damage
Describe the type of damage produced by this type of missile (high explosive, splash damage, etc)
Comparison with analogues
The AIM-7M is far superior to its previous generation of missiles (AIM-7E-2, AIM-7E, AIM-7D, etc) mainly due to its range. Unlike the previous generation of Sparrows, the AIM-7M is suited for both low and high altitude, but excels at high-altitude targets.
Low-altitude
The AIM-7M can hold its own in low-altitude fighting. Due to the lack of a guidance delay, the AIM-7M can confidently be used in close-range engagements at low-altitude in conjunction with the 25 G overload. For low-altitude targets, players can be daring and launch missiles from ~8 km (4.9 mi), but to have a higher chance of hitting the target, it's better to launch from ~5 km (3.1 mi). Launching from 5 km gives the target less time to go into the notch and evade the Sparrow.
High-altitude
The AIM-7M shines in this aspect. Players can be assured of launching missiles 12+ km out from the target due to the AIM-7Ms long burn time and manoeuvrability. The AIM-7M has the 2nd highest acceleration of any SARH missile, second only to the R-27ER. This allows for very long-range launches at high altitude. In order to achieve a high probability of kill, it's important to stay fast and stay on the target to achieve a clear lock. Staying fast allows the missile to reach a higher speed, increasing the range.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Very manoeuvrable
- Exceptional range
- No guidance delay, unlike all of its contemporaries
- Very large explosive mass
Cons:
- Can be spotted for a very long time due to the motor
History
Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />.
Media
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See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;
- references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.
External links
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- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
