AIM-7F Sparrow
Suspended armaments
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| This page is about the American air-to-air missile AIM-7F Sparrow. For the other versions, see AIM-7 Sparrow (Family). |
Description
The AIM-7F Sparrow is an American semi-active radar-homing air-to-air missile. It was introduced in Update "Winged Lions"
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
The AIM-7F is a long-range air-to-air missile equipped with a sustainer motor. It is capable of engaging targets at over 30 km away and can reliably hit manoeuvring targets at ranges of 15 km.
| Missile characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Mass | 231 kg |
| Guidance | SARH |
| Signal | CW |
| Lock range | 40 km |
| Launch range | 100 km |
| Maximum speed | 4 M |
| Maximum overload | 25 G |
| Missile guidance time | 75 secs |
| Explosive mass | 15.09 kg TNTeq |
Effective damage
The AIM-7F is equipped with a 15 kg TNT warhead, capable of destroying aircraft it hits or detonates next to.
Comparison with analogues
The AIM-7F compares favourably against the AIM-7E and is on slightly better footing than the Skyflash and AIM-7E-2 once range exceeds 6 km. With a 25G pull that can be sustained for nearly the entire flight thanks to the sustainer motor, the manoeuvrability of the AIM-7F is unparalleled. The AIM-7F is approximately 40 kg heavier than the E-2, however, so acceleration is slightly lower, along with turning capability.
Usage in battles
The AIM-7F is best suited to high-altitude, long-range engagements and can be launched from over 15 km. Thanks to the sustainer motor, overall travel time is short and the missile is capable of a higher top speed in all but the most extreme situations. Additionally, the missile is able to retain its speed for far longer, meaning it keeps its 25G manoeuvring capability, often until the target gets hit. However, the AIM-7F can generally be used in any situation where the E-2 can be used, save for extremely close range shots.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Extremely long range (over 35 km in good conditions)
- Sustaining motor, so it keeps its speed and manoeuvrability at long ranges
- Very manoeuvrable, second only to the AIM-7E-2 and Skyflash in their first few seconds of flight
- Very long tracking time (75 seconds)
- Large warhead (>15 kg of TNT)
- Manoeuvres straight off the rails, so no leading is required like the AIM-7E
Cons:
- Slightly lower acceleration than contemporaries
- Heavier than previous missiles, 4 AIM-7Fs will weigh almost 160 kg more than 4 AIM-7-E2s
- Very long burn time, so the red diamond will be visible for a very long time, giving enemies ample time to notice it
- Glides less than the AIM-7-E2
- Not fire-and-forget, you need to follow the target to keep a radar lock until the moment the missile hits
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
- Images
A cutaway diagram comparing the AIM-7E and AIM-7F Sparrow
See also
- Related development
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.