AGM-65 Maverick - Deployment

Deployment

The Maverick was declared operational on 30 August 1972 with the F-4D/Es and A-7s initially cleared for the type; the missile made its combat debut four months later with the USAF in the Vietnam War. During the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, the Israelis used Mavericks to destroy and disable enemy vehicles. Deployment of early versions of the Mavericks in these two wars were successful due to the favorable atmospheric conditions that suited the electro-optical TV seeker. Ninety-nine missiles were fired during the two wars, eighty-four of which were successful.

In June 1975, during a border confrontation, Iranian troops fired twelve Mavericks, all successful, at Iraqi tanks. Five years later, during Operation Morvarid as part of the Iran–Iraq War, Iranian F-4s used Mavericks to sink three OSA IIs and four P-6s combat ships.

In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait in what was a widely-condemned move by many countries, including the United States. As a result, in early 1991, the U.S.-led Coalition executed Operation Desert Storm during which Mavericks played a crucial role in the ousting of Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Employed by F-15Es, F-18, AV-8Bs, F-16s and A-10s, but used mainly by the last two, more than 5,000 Mavericks were deployed to attack armored targets. The mostly-used variant by the USAF was the IIR-guided AGM-65D. The reported hit rate by USAF Mavericks was 80–90 percent, while for the USMC it was 60 percent. The Maverick was again used in Iraq during the 2003 Iraq War, during which 918 were fired.

The first time the Maverick were fired from a Lockheed P-3 Orion at a hostile vessel was when the USN and coalition units came to aid of Libyan rebels to engage Libyan Coast Guard vessel Vittoria in the port of Misrata, Libya, during the late evening of 28 March 2011. Vittoria was engaged and fired upon by a USN P-3C Maritime Patrol aircraft with AGM-65 Maverick missiles. Iranian AGM-65 Maverick missiles have been used in various operations such as Fatholmobin whereas Iranian AH-1J's fired 11 Mavericks.