Nimrod (missile)

Nimrod is a long-range air-to-surface and surface-to-surface missile developed by Israel Aerospace Industries. While primarily designed for anti-tank use, it provides standoff strike capability against a variety of point targets such as APCs, ships, bunkers, personnel concentrations and guerrillas.

Nimrod has a semi-active laser guidance system, capable of day and night operation. Its flight trajectory can be set below obscuring cloud layers, while a forward scouting team uses a laser designator to direct it from up to 26 km behind.

Nimrod may be installed on a variety of towed launchers, light combat vehicle launchers, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft. The primary helicopter launch platform for the Nimrod in the Israel Defense Forces is a modified CH-53 helicopter; this is not only due to the relatively large size and weight of the Nimrod missile, but because the CH-53 is a common delivery vehicle for Israeli special operations teams. The launching vehicle or aircraft may fire up to 4 Nimrods at once from a single pack.

Versions
Currently two versions of Nimrod exist:
 * Long Range, Dual Mode Missile – NIMROD 2 A dual mode Laser/GPS Homing missile, the Nimrod 2 has a range of 36KM and features a mobile launcher. The warhead is 14kg, and the missile can support various warheads for a variety of targets.
 * Long Range, Dual Mode Missile – NIMROD 3 A dual mode Laser/GPS Homing missile, the Nimrod 3 has a range of 10-50KM and can support various warheads for a wide range of targets. It also has a mobile launcher.

Characteristics

 * Effective range: 300 - 36,000 meters
 * Length: 265 cm
 * Span 40 cm
 * Weight: 96 kg
 * Speed: ~2000 km/h
 * Propulsion: single stage solid rocket motor
 * Guidance: Semi-Active Laser Homing
 * Warhead: HEAT, Fragmentation-HE, thermobaric

Comparable systems

 * Spike NLOS
 * AGM-169 JCM