Predators fire Hellfire missiles and Reapers drop JDAMs, but no unmanned fast jet has fired a missile since Teledyne Ryan and the USAF were playing with armed Firebee drones, in the days between Vietnam and disco. Until now, when the USAF has announced tests of a ramjet-powered experimental missile from a QF-4 target drone.
The test was carried out on January 9 at Holloman AFB in New Mexico, and is unique because it involves an experimental missile. (The Firebees were firing AGM-65 Mavericks.) In fact, it seems that the Navy and USAF decided to use the QF-4 because the clearance process was simpler than that involved in testing an experimental missile from a manned aircraft. "We have pioneered a new venue to test forward-firing ordnance without risk to valuable air assets or crew members," said Lt. Col. Joel Rush, commander of Detachment 1 of the 82nd Air Target Squadron.
The USAF release oddly does not identify the missile, but it looks like a test vehicle for the Office of Naval Research High Speed Anti-Radiation Demonstration (HSAD) program. Atlantic Research Corp. now part of Aerojet, was awarded the contract to provide a variable-flow ducted rocket, a form of solid-fuel ramjet engine, for HSAD in 2002, and it has continued to be funded via earmarks since then, supported by California Republican Rep. Buck McKeon.
HSAD combines the seeker head and guidance electronics of the AGM-88 HARM with a wingless airframe and a ramjet propulsion system. The concept has been around for some time, and was proposed as part of the Advanced Anti Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) project, but that eventually led to the AGM-88E with a standard HARM airframe.
A 2006 ONR presentation says that the goal of HSAD is a 100 nm-range, Mach 3+ missile for use by the F/A-18 and Joint Strike Fighter. Aviation Week has reported on a Raytheon program to develop a ramjet variant of HARM.
I found it strange that Russia could deploy ramjet missiles buy the dozens and the US defense industries couldn't come up with a working comparable missile. France with its ASMP in the '90s showed it could be done and during tests and (virtual) exercises it proved a deadly weapon, providing an average 15% increase in hit probability just based on the ramjets high(er) speed alone.
Scary stuff.
It makes me both happy and sad to see the old F-4 still flying - even if it is as a flying target. A Phantoms' take-off always puts a grin on my face, and that it is still flying with ordnance just makes it bigger.