Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
February 11, 2012
IWG Report 2009
Independent Working Group Report: Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century. »»
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Popeye-2
| Country: | Israel |
|---|---|
| Alternate Name: | Have Lite |
| Class: | ALCM |
| Target: | Land |
| Length: | 4.25 m |
| Diameter: | 0.53 m |
| Launch Weight: | 1135.00 kg |
| Payload: | 350 kg HE, fragmentation; 352 kg HE, penetration |
| Propulsion: | Solid |
| Range: | 75.00 km |
| Guidance: | INS, datalink, GPS, TV, IIR |
| Status: | Operational |
| In Service: | 1995-present |
| Associated Country: | United States |
| Exported: | Australia, Turkey, South Korea, Greece, India |
Details
The Popeye 2 “Have Lite” is a short-range, television or infrared-guided, air-to-surface cruise missile developed and manufactured by Israel and the United States. It is a smaller variant of the AGM-142 Popeye 1 “Have Nap” air-to-surface cruise missile.
Rafael Armament Development Authority began the development of the AGM-142 Popeye 1 in the early 1980s with the intention of providing the Israeli armed forces with a television-guided weapon for use against high-value ground targets such as airfields, bridges, and bunkers. Television imaging, otherwise known as electro-optical imaging, is a navigation system in which an electro-optical seeker scans a designated area. Once a target is acquired, the missile will lock on to it for the kill. TV imaging does not depend on a target’s heat signature, and thus can be used against low-heat targets.
The Popeye 2 “Have Lite” is similar to the Popeye 1 in configuration. By reducing its motor length and deploying a lighter but improved computer and other navigation and control systems, the overall weight of the missile has been reduced. The “Have Lite” is 4.25 m in length, 0.52 m in body diameter, and has a launch weight of 1,135 kg. Similar to later versions of the AGM-142 Popeye 1 “Have Nap,” the missile can carry either a 350 kg high explosive fragmentation warhead or an improved 352 high explosive penetration warhead capable of destroying hardened targets. The missile is powered by a solid propellant motor, and has a maximum range of 75 km.
In 1994, Israel tested the Popeye 2 “Have Lite” from an Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the missile entered service the following year. It is currently deployed on F-16 and F/A-18 aircraft, each of which can carry two missiles. The Popeye 2 has been exported to Australia, Turkey, South Korea, and possibly Greece. A modified version was exported to India. The missiles are produced under license in the U.S. by a joint venture company known as Precision Guided Systems United States (PGSUS). Though the USAF employed the missile for a short time, all AGM-142 missiles were removed from US service in 2003. Prior to removing the missiles from service, the USAF used AGM-142 missiles in 1991 against Iraq and in 1999 against Serbia.(1)
Footnotes
