How are “fire and forget” weapons different from “fire and run” weapons?

Basic differences between the two weapons

Fire and forget weapons are precision-guided weapons that are capable of reaching their intended target without any outside intervention.

Thanks to this advantage, immediately after launching the weapon, the carrier-launcher (aircraft, vehicle, artillery, etc.) can immediately maneuver to find another target or avoid counterattacks from the enemy.

Fire and forget weapons are equipped with an electronic computer “brain” used to detect and identify targets as well as to guide and automatically control the weapon to the target.

Furthermore, due to the combination of multiple guidance methods (radar, infrared, etc.), they are capable of operating in all weather conditions with a high probability of hitting the target and can be launched from beyond the direct defensive fire range of the enemy.

However, this type of weapon must be distinguished from launch and leave weapons. Launch and leave weapons also allow the carrier-launcher to maneuver immediately but require target designation (by laser, radar, etc.) from another source until the target is hit.

History of the development of fire and forget weapons

The 1970s saw a steady increase in the probability of a weapon hitting the target. The 1980s saw the advent of target detection and tracking technology. As a result, aircraft became more vulnerable to attack.

One of the keys to survival is to hit your opponent and evade in time. But to do that, you need the right weapons systems. That’s the context that leads to the concept and weapons systems known as fire and run, fire and forget.

The concept of fire and forget was first introduced in the US in the late 1960s. Already at that time, the US had a program to manufacture anti-tank missiles that could be fired and forgotten to equip helicopters.

In 1971, the US successfully tested a laser-tracking missile and by 1973 invested in perfecting a modular anti-tank missile, that is, a missile capable of using many different types of guidance devices (laser, infrared, radar...), which is the Hellfire missile.

According to preliminary data, the AGM-114 Hellfire missile weighs 45.4 - 49 kg; has a range of 500 - 8,000 m (up to 20 km if fired from a jet). In fact, with the laser tracking guidance system, the missile can only be launched with the launcher, meaning it is a launch and run weapon.

In 1978, the US focused on the WASP program, which was a research program for an air-launched anti-tank missile capable of finding its target on its own.

The missile will carry a radar seeker that works in the millimeter wave range, works well in all weather conditions, and can launch multiple missiles at once, each missile programmed specifically to attack certain targets. They are considered true fire-and-forget weapons.

The rapid development of advanced technology industries, especially electronics technology, is the premise for the development of precision-guided weapons in general, and of launch and forget weapons in particular.

Today's electronics industry allows the manufacture of navigation devices and sensors that are small enough to even be mounted in artillery shells.

However, another difficult problem was distinguishing the target's signature from the background of other objects. This problem was solved in the mid to late 1980s.

The first launch-and-forget weapon used by the US was in 1984 against Libya, the HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile).

HARM has a much higher speed than the American Shrike missile used in Vietnam, and it can also remember the exact coordinates of the target after the radar is turned off.

During the Gulf War, in addition to the HARM missile, other launch-and-forget weapons were deployed such as the British TLAM anti-radar missile and, most famously, the Tomahawk cruise missile.

In the short term, the number of launch-and-forget weapons is expected to increase rapidly and their prices will also become much more affordable. This is considered the main weapon of future wars.