Hughes Missiles (HM-series)

SOC

SOC

I look at pictures all day
Senior Member
Joined
24 January 2006
Messages
1,297
Reaction score
377
Recently came across a new designation system I wasn't familiar with before. Or, I was familiar with two of them, but when I found the third I realized they were all part of a sequence.

I've come across three of these so far:

HM-55 (GAR-11A)
HM-58 (GAR-2A)
HM-107 (AGM-76)

There should logically be numbers for:

AIM-54
AGM-65
BMG-71
AIM-95
AIM-120
AGM-124

There should also be numbers for the other Falcon missile variants, but for those I've located a totally separate designation system, with "HM-X" only used for the two export models. Can anyone fill in any of the gaps?
 
Interesting. Couldn't find much more to add except for this extra information of the HM-55 and HM-58:

Rb 27 (initially known as RB-327) = license-built Hughes HM 55 Falcon for Sweden, AIM-26B equivalent
Rb 28 (initially known as RB-328) = license-built Hughes HM 58 Falcon for Sweden, AIM-4C/D equivalent

Sources:
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1961/1961 - 1426.html
http://uforum.forumniger.com/t1224-j-35-draken

The Hughes Falcon topic on this forum also mentions that the AIM-26B Falcon is the Hughes HM-55S.
 
It would seem that HS is also used as a prefix (presumably for "Hughes, Space"):

Thor (previously known as Marcopolo) is a family of satellites designed, launched and tested by Hughes Space and Communications (now part of Boeing Satellite Systems) for British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB), and were used for Britain's Direct Broadcast Service. Thor is owned by Telenor. Marcopolo 1 launched on 27 August 1989 on the 187th launch of a Delta rocket, and Marcopolo 2 launched on 17 August 1990, on a Delta II rocket. Marcopolo I had the Hughes designation HS376
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.freebase.com/view/m/064kg3x
 
I came across another of this series:

HM.45 = a pulse-doppler version of the European licence-built Hughes GAR-11, weight 365lb, range 12nm (4nm at SL). Dates from 1964. BAC suggested it for a fighter version of the P.45 coupled with an unspecified 30in diameter radar.
 
jsport said:
Terminal phase "hit-to-kill" anti-missile launched from a fighter..Whoa, wait what?
Click to expand...
Apparently, that is the ARPAT Experimental Interceptor flight tested at White Sands in the early 60s. It evaluated the proposed IR seeker for the production Interceptor (which would be a totally different design and missile-launched: the plan was for multiple ARPAT Interceptors to be launched from their carrier missile).
 

Similar threads

Please donate to support the forum.

Back
Top Bottom