Reviving Sparrow missiles against Iran: Israel's cost-effective strategy
It is estimated that repelling the Iranian attack could have cost Israel approximately £1 billion. However, not every situation requires modern and expensive weaponry, as demonstrated by using old AIM-7 Sparrow missiles.
20 April 2024 15:24
The effectiveness with which Israeli weapons handled hundreds of incoming targets arouses admiration worldwide. Alongside the most modern weapons—such as anti-ballistic systems—Israel employed older types of armaments.
This strategy allowed for cost reduction, conservation of the stockpile of more modern missiles, and, at the same time, disposal of weapons that—if not utilized—would eventually have to be disposed of.
Defence 24 highlights the fact that, despite the availability of other solutions, F-15 aircraft with AIM-7 Sparrow missiles participated in repelling the Iranian attack.
Effectiveness of the AIM-7 Sparrow Missiles
This weapon was developed back in the 1950s. Its combat debut was during the Vietnam War, where—initially—the AIM-7 proved to be a weapon of very limited effectiveness. Out of 600 launched missiles, only 16 percent hit the target, with only two destroying targets beyond visual range.
The response to these issues included the establishment of the famous Top Gun naval aviation school, modifications to the tactics for using these missiles, and the development of their next, improved version.
The result was impressive—Sparrow missiles proved effective against Russian MiGs during subsequent conflicts. During Operation Desert Storm at the beginning of the 1990s, out of 44 AIM-7 missiles fired, as many as 30 hit their target, most of them beyond visible range.
Weapons from the 1950s
The AIM-7 Sparrow is 3.6 metres long, has a diameter of 20 cm, and a significant wingspan—its aerodynamic surfaces measure as much as 80 cm. Weighing 213 kg, the missile carries a large 40 kg warhead. It can accelerate to speeds of Mach 4 and has a range exceeding 50 km (some sources even mention up to 70 km).
The weakness of the Sparrow missiles lies in their semi-active radar homing—until hitting the target, it must be tracked by the radar of the aircraft that fired the missile. As the case of Israel shows, however, this does not pose a problem in the case of simpler, less demanding targets, including large cruise missiles.
