Missile AGM-45 Shrike
Summary
| Category | Air-to-Surface Missiles |
| Sub-type | Anti-radar missile |
| Origin country | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Manufacturer | Texas Instruments |
| Status | Retired |
| Year of service | 1965 |
| Number built | 18500 units |
| Est. avg unit price | $0.0 million |
Technical specifications
| Warhead | High Explosive / Fragmentation |
| Warhead weight | 65 kg (143 lb) |
| Diameter | 203 mm (8.0 in) |
| Span | 914 mm (36.0 in) |
| Length | 3,048 mm (120.0 in) |
| Weight | 177 kg (390 lb) |
| Range | 40 km (25 mi) |
| Max. speed | 1,852 km/h (Mach 1.9) |
AGM-45 Shrike scale diagram
Operators
Description
The AGM-45 Shrike was an air-launched anti-radiation missile developed by the U.S. Navy in the 1960s and used extensively in the Vietnam War. It was designed to home in on enemy radar emissions and destroy radar sites, especially surface-to-air missile systems. This tactic was known as "Wild Weasel" missions where the Shrike missile was typically carried by F-4 Phantom II and F-105 Thunderchief aircraft.
The Shrike missile used a passive radar homing system to follow radar emissions back to the source. It had a range of around 15 miles and carried a high-explosive warhead to destroy the radar on impact. During the Vietnam War, the Shrike saw extensive use and is credited with destroying around 150 enemy radar sites that were directing surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft fire.
The AGM-45 remained in service with the U.S. military until the 1990s when it was gradually replaced by more advanced anti-radiation missiles like the AGM-78 Standard ARM and AGM-88 HARM. However, the Shrike set an important precedent as the first dedicated anti-radiation missile and proved the viability of suppressing enemy air defenses by targeting radar systems. The "Wild Weasel" tactic of radar suppression pioneered by the Shrike remains a crucial mission for modern anti-radiation missiles.