With the large arrival of many new AGMs for many new aircraft, I’m simply surprised we still have not received the Kurnass 2000’s most iconic weapon: the Popeye AGM. IMO Israel needs more domestic aircraft munitions ingame, and it would be a perfect time to add the Popeye now that we have several stand-off weapons ingame.
Popeye is a large stand-off AGM weighing 1370kg and boasting a 340kg blast-fragmentation warhead with 150kg of explosive filler or a 360kg I-800 AP warhead with 77kg of explosive filler. Popeye could come in several variants, for both Israeli and US aircraft, as the missile had been sold to the US and was used by the US for a while. In US service, the Popeye was named “AGM-142 Have Nap”.
Popeye variants made by Israel (context: < Israeli variant name > / < American variant name >)
- Popeye HE (TV) / AGM-142A - Popeye with a TV seeker and a blast-fragmentation warhead
- Popeye HE (IIR) / AGM-142B - Popeye with an imaging IR seeker and a blast-fragmentation warhead
- Popeye AP (TV) / AGM-142C - Popeye with a TV seeker and an AP warhead
- Popeye AP (IIR) / AGM-142D - Popeye with an imaging IR seeker and an AP warhead
- Popeye 2 - A modernized version of the Popeye made by Israel in 1994, it is physically smaller and received a weight reduction (now weighs 1135kg) and yet has a similar warhead size to the original Popeye, has a larger range, and even receives GPS as guidance assistance. The Popeye 2 was made for lighter aircraft like the F-16, as the original Popeye was too heavy for it. While the Popeye 2 was tested by the US, it did not receive any official designation. Popeye 2 would also have 4 versions of itself like the aforementioned 4 Popeye variants.
Ingame, Popeye could be used by the Kurnass 2000, F-16D-40 Barak II, and F-16C-50. The Kurnass 2000 would be able to use the original Popeye, while the F-16D-40 Barak II and F-16C-50 would be able to use the Popeye 2. In the future, more Israeli aircraft could receive the Popeye AGM, like the F-15A/B/C/D Baz Meshupar, F-15I Ra’am, and F-16I Sufa (would use AGM-142F, read more below). The US could possibly also receive Popeyes for the B-52H, that is if they ever get it.
But wait! There is more!
In 1994, the Americans made their own modernization program for the Popeyes they were using, a three-stage PEP (Producibility Enhancement Program) intended to give motor and airframe improvements for cheaper manufacturing, new electronics (hardware and software), and a new IOG (Inertial Onboard Guidance) unit. The final PEP stage (PEP III), which was tested in early 1998, introduced a new type of IIR seeker, generally referred to as “Z-seeker” (Z = Zoom).
There are 4 of these Popeye variants we could see in-game in addition to the aforementioned Israeli variants:
- AGM-142E - PEP-improved Popeye in Australian service. Has the PEP improvements, the Z-seeker, and the I-800 AP warhead. Was used on Australian F-111Cs.
- AGM-142F - PEP-improved Popeye exported to Israel, well this went full circle. The AGM-142F has the PEP improvements, clipped wings, the Z-seeker, and the I-800 AP warhead. I don’t know the full range of aircraft this variant was used on, but I know the F-16I Sufa uses it.
- AGM-142G - PEP-improved Popeye for South Korea, incorporates the PEP improvements, a new CCD seeker, the I-800 AP warhead, and software changes to make the missile compatible with South Korean F-4Es.
- AGM-142H - Basically the same as the AGM-142G but now with the Z-seeker.