A Complete Overview Of The US Military's Bombs and Missiles

Military

A recent news release revealed the U.S. president gave permission to Ukraine to utilize U.S. weapons, such as rockets and rocket launchers, to strike inside Russia for limited purposes. The Department of Defense (DOD) has provided billions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine to aid them in response to the Russian invasion in 2022. Providing weapons to other countries is one of the many ways the U.S. military utilizes the weapons developed for their own stockpiles. The Pentagon is requesting $30 million in 2024 to “buy the maximum number of munitions that American industry can produce” in an effort to replenish what has been used.

Weapons used by the U.S. military vary and include nuclear weapons, guided munitions, and ballistics missiles. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed congressional research reports and military documents and publications to identify the bombs used by the U.S. military. These weapons include defensive missiles designed to intercept approaching threats, tactical missile systems, and strategic nuclear weapons. Some of the systems on the list have never been deployed, while others have been routinely used for decades. The majority of the bombs on this list were developed for use by the U.S. Navy and Air Force and account for a considerable share of the U.S. military budget. For example, the Sidewinder missiles integrated into F-16 and F-22 fighters cost just under half a million dollars each.

Why Are We Writing About Bombs and Missiles in the U.S. Military?

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

The U.S. DOD maintains America’s Nuclear Triad, described as “the backbone of America’s national security.” The Triad consists of land, sea, and air munitions set to be used in the event of an attack. Ballistic missiles unleashed from silos or submarines are one level of defense. From the air, bomber aircraft such as the B-52H Stratofortress or B-2A Spirit are poised to provide “massive firepower” in a short time. It is helpful to understand these weapons and munitions in order to better understand how our government protects us.

These are the bombs and missiles used by the U.S. military.

1. A/U/RGM-84 Harpoon

Harpoon | NAVAIR

Bomb Type: Anti-ship missile
Guidance System: Radar
Dimensions: 12.5-15 feet in length and, 13.5 inches in diameter
Range: 75-120 nautical miles, depending on the block and launch platform
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy and Air Force
Manufactured By: Boeing
Foreign Buyers: Denmark and Taiwan

2. AGM-114 Hellfire

AGM-114 Hellfire - Wikipedia

Bomb Type: Air-to-surface weapon
Guidance System: Laser-guided
Dimensions: 104 pounds, 64 inches in length, and 7 inches in diameter
Range: 550 to 12,030 yd
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps
Manufactured By: Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman
Foreign Buyers: 32 countries, including India, Australia and Ukraine

3. AGM-154 JSOW

AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) > United States Navy > Displayy-FactFiles

Bomb Type: Long-range standoff weapon
Guidance System: Link-16 data link, GPS/INS, terminal IR seeker
Dimensions: 13 feet in length and 4 inches in diameter
Range: 12-63 nautical miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy and Air Force
Manufactured By: Raytheon
Foreign Buyers: Australia, Canada, Finland, Greece, Poland, Singapore, and Turkey

4. AGM-158

Source: ewg3D / iStock via Getty Images

Bomb Type: Long-range standoff weapon
Guidance System: GPS/INS and imaging IR terminal seeker
Dimensions: 14 feet in length
Range: 200 miles to 1,000 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force and Navy
Manufactured By: Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Honeywell
Foreign Buyers: Australia, Finland, and Poland

5. AGM-176 Griffin

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Air-to-surface weapon
Guidance System: GPS and laser-guided
Dimensions: 43 inches in length and 5.5 inches in diameter
Range: 12 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps
Manufactured By: Raytheon
Foreign Buyers: N/A

6. AGM-183 ARRW

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Strategic weapon
Guidance System: in testing
Diameters: 22 feet in length
Range: over 1,000 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force
Manufactured By: Lockheed Martin
Foreign Buyers: N/A

7. AGM-65 Maverick

Source: ewg3D / iStock via Getty Images

Bomb Type: Air-to-surface weapon
Guidance System: electro-optical, laser, and imaging infrared guidance systems
Dimensions: 8 feet, 2 inches in length and 12 inches in diameter
Range: greater than 12 nautical miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force
Manufactured By: Raytheon and Northrop Grumman
Foreign Buyers: at least 35 countries, including the United Kingdom, Belgium, Canada, and Israel

8. AGM-84K SLAM-ER

Source: U.S. Navy via Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Air-to-surface weapon
Guidance System: GPS and infrared terminal guidance
Dimensions: 14.3 feet in length and 13.5 inches in diameter
Range: 168 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy
Manufactured By: Boeing
Foreign Buyers: Tawain

9. AGM-86 ALCM

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Strategic nuclear weapon
Guidance System: Litton inertial navigation system element with TERCOM updates or Litton INS element integrated with multi-channel onboard GPS
Dimensions: 20 feet, 9 inches in length and 24.5 inches in diameter
Range: 680 – 1,500+ miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force
Manufactured By: Boeing
Foreign Buyers: N/A

10. AGM-88e AARGM

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Air-to-surface weapon
Guidance System: millimeter-wave radar for precise terminal guidance
Dimensions: 13 feet, 8 inches in length
Range: 13 – 80 nautical miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force
Manufactured By: Northrop Grumman, Orbital ATK, and Northrop Grumman
Foreign Buyers: Poland and the Netherlands

11. AIM-120 AMRAAM

Source: vestman / Flickr

Bomb Type: Air-to-air missile
Guidance System: two-stage guidance when fired at long range. The aircraft passes data to the missile just before launch, giving it information about the location of the target aircraft from the launch point, including its direction and speed.
Dimensions: 12 feet in length and 7 inches in diameter
Range: over 20 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force
Manufactured By: Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and Nammo Group
Foreign Buyers: Japan

12. AIM-9 Sidewinder

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Air-to-air missile
Guidance System: an guidance section and an active optical target detector
Dimensions: 9 feet, 11 inches in length, 5 inches in diameter
Range: 1-2 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy and Air Force
Manufactured By: Raytheon and Northrop Grumman
Foreign Buyers: Romania

13. B61 Thermonuclear Bomb

Source: pburka / Flickr

Bomb Type: Tactical nuclear weapon
Guidance System: uses a tail kit guidance assembly to convert it into a guided stand-off nuclear bomb
Dimensions: varies depending on model
Range: 190,000 feet
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force
Manufactured By: Los Alamos National Laboratory and Boeing
Foreign Buyers: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey

14. BGM-71 TOW

Source: Stocktrek Images / Stocktrek Images via Getty Images

Bomb Type: Anti-tank missile
Guidance System: a tripod-mounted wire-guided anti-tank guided-missile system
Dimensions: 5 feet and 9 inches in length and 5.98 inches in diameter
Range: up to 2.8 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Army
Manufactured By: Raytheon
Foreign Buyers: Saudi Arabia

15. CBU-105 SFW

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Area weapon
Guidance System: IR targeting in each warhead; INS (via WCMD tail kit predispersal) and GPS-data (via aircraft, prerelease)
Dimensions: 7.7 feet in length and 15 inches in diameter
Range: Delivers 40 lethal projectiles over an area of about 500 ft x 1,200 feet
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force
Manufactured By: Textron Systems
Foreign Buyers: India, Oman, South Korea, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates

16. CBU-107 PAW

Source: myhrcat / E+ via Getty Images

Bomb Type: Area weapon
Guidance System: guided by a Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser tail kit to help with accuracy
Dimensions: 7.7 feet in length and 15 inches in diameter
Range: works by gliding toward its target, and before impact, begins to spin and emit nearly 4,000 metal projectiles that can penetrate targets within 200 feet
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force
Manufactured By: General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and Textron
Foreign Buyers: N/A

17. Evolved Seasparrow Missile Block 1 (ESSM) (RIM 162D)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Surface-to-air and surface-to-surface radar-guided missile
Guidance System: radar and midcourse data uplinks
Dimensions: 12 feet in length and 10 inches in diameter
Range: 31+ miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy
Manufactured By: Raytheon
Foreign Buyers: ESSM Block 1 is part of a 10-nation international cooperative development program between the U.S., NATO partner nations, and Australia

18. GBU-10/12/49 Paveway II

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Precision-guided air-to-surface weapon
Guidance System: laser-guided
Dimensions: Span 5.5 ft, length approx. 14.8 ft, diameter 18 in (GBU-10); span 4.4 ft, length 10.8 ft, diameter 11-18 in (GBU-12/49)
Range: from 6 – 9 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force
Manufactured By: Lockheed Martin and Raytheon
Foreign Buyers: N/A

19. GBU-24/28 Paveway III

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Precision-guided air-to-surface weapon
Guidance System: third-generation laser guidance
Dimensions: Span 6.7 ft, length 14.4 ft, diameter 18 in (GBU-24); length approx. 20 ft, diameter 15 in (GBU-28)
Range: more than 11 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force
Manufactured By: Raytheon
Foreign Buyers: various NATO airforces

20. GBU-31/32/38 JDAM

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Precision-guided air-to-surface weapon
Guidance System: GPS
Dimensions: Span 25 in (GBU-31), 19.6 in (GBU-32), 14 in (GBU-38); length (with JDAM and warhead) approx 12 ft (GBU-31), 10 ft (GBU-32), 7.8 ft (GBU-38)
Range: up to 15 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force, Navy
Manufactured By: Boeing, Textron, and Honeywell
Foreign Buyers: Germany

21. GBU-43 MOAB

Source: FI295 via Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Precision-guided munitions
Guidance System: GPS guided, with fins and inertial gyro for pitch and roll
Dimensions: Length 30 feet, diameter 3.3 feet
Range: Its principal effect is a massive blast wave – said to stretch for a mile in every direction
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force
Manufactured By: AFRL and Dynetics
Foreign Buyers: N/A

22. GBU-53 StormBreaker

Source: Mztourist / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Precision-guided munitions
Guidance System: utilizes MMW and IIR sensors to find and identify targets, refine aim points, and guide the weapon to impact
Dimensions: length 5.75 ft, wingspan 5.6 ft, diameter 7 in
Range: 40 nautical miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force, Navy
Manufactured By: Raytheon
Foreign Buyers: Norway, Germany, and Finland

23. GBU-54 LJDAM

Source: guvendemir / E+ via Getty Images

Bomb Type: Precision-guided munitions
Guidance System: GPS and laser-guided
Dimensions: Length (with JDAM and warhead) approx 8 feet
Range: up to 15 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force, Navy
Manufactured By: Boeing
Foreign Buyers: United Arab Emirates

24. GBU-57 MOP

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Precision-guided munitions
Guidance System: GPS-aided Inertial Navigation System (INS) or by laser designation fired by the aircraft
Dimensions: Length 20.5 ft, diameter 31.5 in.
Range: 200 feet
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force
Manufactured By: Boeing
Foreign Buyers: Israel

25. GBU-69 Small Glide Munition

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Precision-guided munitions
Guidance System: laser-guided
Dimensions: Span 28 in, length 3.5 ft, diameter 4.5 in
Range: 20+ miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force
Manufactured By: Dynetics
Foreign Buyers: N/A

26. LGM-30 Minuteman III

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Strategic nuclear weapon
Guidance System: inertial guidance system
Dimensions: 5.5 feet
Range:6,000-plus miles (5,218 nautical miles)
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force
Manufactured By: Boeing, General Electric, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman
Foreign Buyers: N/A

27. MGM-140/164/168 ATACMS

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Surface-to-surface missile system
Guidance System: inertial
Dimensions: 13 feet long, 2 feet wide, and has a launch weight of 2,912 pounds
Range: 200 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Army
Manufactured By: Lockheed Martin
Foreign Buyers: Bahrain, Greece, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, and the UAE

28. MIM-104 Patriot

Source: VanderWolf-Images / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Bomb Type: Surface-to-air missile system
Guidance System: The Track Via Missile (TVM) guidance system is the heart of the system. The Patriot system is built around a phased array radar and fast computers. The missile is launched and guided to the target in three phases.
Dimensions: Each container-launcher box is 20 feet long, 3.58 feet wide, and 3.25 feet high. Its empty weight is 1,750 pounds, and its loaded weight is 3,739 pounds.
Range: 43 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Army
Manufactured By: Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing
Foreign Buyers: Netherlands

29. MK Family of Torpedoes

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Anti-submarine weapon
Guidance System: vary by model
Dimensions: 9.5 feet long and 800 pounds
Range: greater than 1,200 feet
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy
Manufactured By: Raytheon
Foreign Buyers: Brazil, Tawain, and other foreign navies

30. NGAAW

Source: MisterClips / Getty Images

Bomb Type: Area weapon
Guidance System: GPS/INS-guided
Dimensions: Length approx. 12 ft (2,000-lb class with tail kit), diameter approx. 14.5 in.; length approx. 7.8 ft, diameter approx. 10.7 in. (500-lb class with tail kit)
Range: 225-foot radius
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Air Force
Manufactured By: Major Tool & Machine and Faxon Machining
Foreign Buyers: N/A

31. RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM)

Source: usnavy / Flickr

Bomb Type: Ship self-defense
Guidance System: The missile must roll during flight because the RF tracking system uses a two-antenna interferometer that can measure phase interference of the electromagnetic wave in one plane only. The rolling interferometer permits the antennas to look at all planes of incoming energy.
Dimensions: 9 feet, 2 inches in length, 5-inch diameter (Block 1) or 6.25 inch (Block 2)
Range: 5.6 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy
Manufactured By: Raytheon
Foreign Buyers: An American and German joint development

32. Seasparrow Missile (RIM-7)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Surface-to-air missile
Guidance System: radar-guided
Dimensions: length of 12 feet and diameter of 8 inches
Range: 8.1–11.9 nautical miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy
Manufactured By: Raytheon and General Dynamics
Foreign Buyers: Japan, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates

33. Standard Missile Family

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type:Surface-to-air, surface-to-surface missile
Guidance System: guided by inertial navigation and mid-course commands from AWS using semi-active radar or an infrared (IR) sensor for terminal homing
Dimensions: 15-21 feet long, 13.5-21 inches in diameter
Range: varies, 19 miles, 90 nautical miles, and as high as 250 nautical miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy
Manufactured By: Raytheon
Foreign Buyers: Australia, Japan, and South Korea

34. Tomahawk Cruise Missile

Source: wfryer / Flickr

Bomb Type: Long-range subsonic cruise missile
Guidance System: utilize various guidance systems, including GPS, inertial navigation, and terrain contour matching.
Dimensions: Length: 18 ft 3 in without booster, 20 ft 6 in with booster, Diameter: 20.4 in, and 2,900 lb, 3,500 lb with booster
Range: up to 1,000 miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy
Manufactured By: Raytheon
Foreign Buyers: Japan

35. Trident II (D5) Missile

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Bomb Type: Submarine-launched strategic nuclear missiles
Guidance System: a combination of an inertial navigation system and a stellar reference system, also known as astro-inertial guidance.
Dimensions: Length: 44 feet, Diameter: 83 inches, Weight: 130,000 pounds at launch
Range: 6,500 nautical miles
Service Branch User(s): U.S. Navy
Manufactured By: Lockheed Martin and Space Co.
Foreign Buyers: United Kingdom

Monday, June 10, 2024