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Having published an urgent operational need for an air support weapon to defeat high-speed moving targets, the U.S. Air Force has expressed interest in re-establishing production of Raytheon's laser-guided Maverick. The Air Force sees this air-to-ground weapon as meeting the service's needs in the near term.

Maverick is a precision air-to-ground missile that has multiple warhead and seeker variants and is used against moving or stationary small or hard targets, armored vehicles, surface-to-air missile sites, and high-value targets such as ships, port facilities and communications centers. The missile has launch-and-leave capability that enables a pilot to fire it and immediately take evasive action or attack another target as the missile guides to the target.

The Air Force currently operates with television- and infrared-guided versions of Maverick. But until now, only the Navy and Marine Corps have employed the laser-guided version. The laser-guided Maverick has a combat-proven record of effectiveness and reliability against armored and moving surface targets in scenarios involving urban environments and close air support missions.

First employed in Southeast Asia more than 30 years ago, Maverick is the most widely used precision-guided missile in the world. The missile has been upgraded to meet evolving threats, and has played a key role in recent conflicts. The weapon's seeker technology has improved significantly since the initial TV-guided version was delivered to the Air Force in 1972.

Enhanced capabilities were added with the introduction of scene magnification optics, modern charge-coupled-device TV technology and improved software, infrared and laser seekers.

To provide that capability to Air Force aircraft in short order, the Navy has agreed to transfer some of its inventory of laser-guided Mavericks to them.