AGM-45 Shrike

AGM-45 Shrike was the first dedicated U.S. anti-radiation missile, developed to home on hostile radar emissions. It emerged from the need to suppress surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery radars during the Vietnam War era. This makes Shrike foundational to Wild Weasel and suppression-of-enemy-air-defenses tactics.

Shrike used passive guidance to follow enemy radar energy rather than carrying an active seeker of its own. That gave aircraft a way to attack air-defense radars, but it also introduced limitations when radars shut down, changed frequency, or used tactics to reduce exposure. The page should explain these tactical dynamics, because anti-radiation missiles are as much about forcing radar behavior as destroying hardware.

Shrike’s historical importance is larger than its raw performance because it helped define how air forces attack integrated air-defense systems. It forced radar operators to choose between emitting and risking attack or shutting down and reducing defensive coverage. For HiWars, Shrike should be tied to SEAD doctrine, Wild Weasel operations, and the later evolution of more capable anti-radiation missiles.