AGM-65 Question

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

I’m putting together some AGM-65 Mavericks for my A-10 and I see different variations of the lens color on internet photographs. On some it appears that the lens is flat black and on others a gold-anodized-rose-looking color. Just wondering if anyone knows what the true color should be. Perhaps the photos with the flat black lenses have a cover over the actual lens, but I would have thought that there would be a streamer on it if that were the case.

On a similar note, if the flat black photos aren’t a lens cover, what do they use to cover the seeker head when the aircraft is on the gound? I know they are sensitive because I’ve seen stencils on them warning ground personnel not to touch the lens.

2

Musiccity, there should not be a “flat black” lens mav loaded on an aircraft, they are only on dummy missiles used in static displays or weapons load training, the seeker head is not real on these. On real mavs the IR ones will have the “gold” color lens and the TV mavs will have a clear lens.

3

I know the Mavericks with gold lenses are IR guided.

I’ll bet those black seeker heads you described are the TV guided mavericks - they have clear lenses with everything behind the lens black (Or what Dice said about dummy static display models)

4

Thanks guys, I knew I could count on you.

Here’s a link to a pic of a Mav with a black lens (I was wrong, it isn’t “Flat” black, just black).

Black didn’t make any sense to me at all since a TV guided missile sure isn’t going to see much through black
[:p]

Thanks for the help.

Edit … Well, I Can’t get the stupid link to work. It’s on this page:
http://s96920072.onlinehome.us/AWA1/301-400/walk325_A-10/part1/walk325a.htm
and is photo number 38

5

Scott…thanks for the link to the ARC for the A-10…what fantastic pictures on that one…wow.
cheers, mate.

6

Dice seems to have pretty well nailed the differences between the lens colors on the Maverick. One thing to keep in mind on this missile or any other for that matter. Something that seems opaque to the human eye may be translucent to other light wave lengths or electronic energy. The most obvious example is radomes on airplanes or other radar sets. Visible light will not penetrate, but radar energy goes right through.

Darwin, O.F. [alien]

7

On pix 41 and 42, the maverick being loaded has a black nose and blue bands. The blue bands confirms it’s an dummy training round.

More on the Maverick: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/smart/agm-65.htm

8

Scott,

Here’s a recent link from ARC with photos of Mavericks: http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/AWA1/601-700/walk655_A-10_Stephens/walk655.htm

Good Luck,

John

9

Lee, there are three sources for all the A-10 pix you could ever want:
The Warthog Pen (thanks Dice!)
A-10.Org
ARC’s walkarounds
If you can’t find it there, you probably didn’t need it [:p]

Yardbird, you are absolutely right. Radar and other gigahertz range signals go through black like it isn’t there. I didn’t think of that although I should have from all the days I spent messing with radio. Thanks for the info.

Ooops … Thanks for the update link, John. Those are some great pix. You apparently posted it while I was typing my response to the other guys. I also found some additional pix on the FAS site at This Link that are pretty good.

10

MusicCity;
also when I was in OEF & OIF the Mavericks had a cover that was black that fit over the optic sensor too and it wasn’t those old huge ones it was big enough to cover the lens only

11

Thanks for that info, Cuda. That’s possibly what I’ve been seeing in the photos. They just look like black covers over the optical sensor with small clips holding them on. I appreciate the help as always.