What is the AGM-88 HARM Missile?

AGM-88 HARM: As confirmed on August 8, by Colin Kahl, the United States Under Secretary of Defense, Ukraine has been supplied a few anti-radiation missiles by Washington. These missiles could be fired from a few Ukrainian Air Force aircraft.

The AGM-88 HARM Missile

The High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile, abbreviated as HARM in the AGM-88 HARM air-to-surface missile is a non-strategic weapon fired from aircraft.

It has the capacity to detect and home in on radiations released by hostile surface-to-air radar stations.

The missile is produced by American defense contractor Raytheon Corporation.

However, the Dallas-headquartered Texas Instruments originally developed the missile.

At present, Dulles, Virginia-based Northrop Grumman has manufactured an advanced version of the same missile.

The Dimensions Of The Missile

Image Source: Wikipedia

The AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation (HARM) has a diameter of only 10 inches but is as long as 14 meters in length. The weight of the missile is 360 kg.

The missile has a fragmentation-type warhead and is made functional for radar targets. The missile also carries an anti-radar homing seeker broadband RF antenna and receiver. It also has a solid-state digital processor.

The AGM-88 HARM can cover a range of more than 100 km.

AGM-88 HARM And The Russian Speculation

In recent days, open-source information was shared by Russian social media users on Telegram.

According to that information, certain AGM- 88 HARM remnants were found near a Russian surface-to-air missile site.

The remnants showcased genuine serial numbers traced to AGM-88 HARM, according to open-source intelligence analysts. Moreover, the US too confirms these deductions.

Does Ukraine Have The Right Platforms And Fighter Aircraft For AGM-88 HARM?

Military analysts are curious to know whether Ukraine has suitable fighter aircraft to use such missiles.

It is believed that the required fighter aircraft to launch such great missiles are possessed by only Western military groups. Certain NATO aircraft in Europe, like the Tornado ECR, F-16CM Block 50, and F/A-18-EA-18G are able to fire the AGM-88 HARM missiles.

However, it seems that the AGM-88 HARM cannot be fitted in the aircraft in the Ukrainian fleet.

According to a report by CNN, this incident undoubtedly marks the first time the use of this weapon by a military other than the US. However, the report also says that it isn’t possible for Ukraine to use such missiles as the Ukrainian aircraft aren’t compatible with the missile.

Now the question is; Were the missiles fired by a NATO aircraft to secretly show support to the Ukraine military in combat roles?

Can Ukraine Make Use Of The AGM-88 HARM In Any Ways?

Ukraine has a Russian-origin aircraft in its fleet. However, the missile cannot be fitted or used by the same.

In a sense, it is actually possible for Ukraine to use the AGM-88 HARM in Russian-origin aircraft in a limited mode.

However, to make this possible, it is a mandate for Ukraine to indulge in fast-scale research and development, which seems unlikely due to extended conflict.