Martin Marietta AGM-79 Blue Eye

The AGM-79 Blue Eye was one of the missile projects, which tried to improve the AGM-12 Bullpup by replacing its manual guidance system by a more advanced one (others were the AGM-80 Viper and the AGM-83 Bulldog). The Blue Eye was a USAF development based on the AGM-12C/E (the large airframe Bullpup) with an optical area-correlation seeker. The pilot of the launching aircraft would select the target via a TV camera in the missile's nose. Once the target was selected, the TV camera picture would be "locked" and the missile fired. The area-correlation logic would then detect any deviation of the camera's picture from the locked image, and correct the missile's course accordingly. The AGM-79 was intended to use a radar-altimeter fuze for airbursts. Firing trials of XAGM-79A prototypes occured in late 1968, but in the early 1970s, the Blue Eye program was cancelled.

Specifications

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

Data for XAGM-79A (based on AGM-12C Bullpup airframe):

Length	4.14 m (13 ft 7 in)
Wingspan	1.22 m (48 in)
Diameter	0.46 m (18 in)

Main Sources

[1] R.T. Pretty, D.H.R. Archer (eds.): "Jane's Weapon Systems 1972-73", Jane's, 1973

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Last Updated: 23 January 2002