USAF project

Historical Essay © Andreas Parsch

Hughes AGM-76 Falcon

The AGM-76 was an air-to-ground derivative of the AIM-47 Falcon long-range air-to-air missile, and was planned in the mid-1960s as an air-to-ground weapon for the North American F-108 Mach 3 fighter. When the F-108 was cancelled, its weapons suite (AN/ASG-18 fire-control system, AIM-47, AGM-76) was transferred to the forthcoming Lockheed F-12. Twenty-two XAGM-76A test missiles were eventually built, ten of which were test-fired from the YF-12A prototypes.

The AGM-76 was guided by the AN/ASG-18 FCS (Fire-Control System), which had some air-to-ground modes added for this purpose. The hypersonic missile had a range of more than 160 km (100 miles), and its 250 kT thermonuclear warhead would usually be detonated in an air-burst.

After the generally successful XAGM-76A test program, the USAF planned to procure AGM-76A production missiles to equip the F-12B production version of the YF-12A. So armed, the F-12 could have been used as a very fast deep-strike attack platform. However, when the F-12B was cancelled, the AGM-76 program was stopped, too.

Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!

Data for XAGM-76A:

[1] Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility website, list of exhibits in Building 22
[2] Anonymous "primary source" on the AGM-76 program

Manufacturer: Hughes.