1:48 AGM-62 Walleye I ER missiles (2 pcs) with AN/AWG-16 data link pod (1 pcs)

The glide bomb that saw its target

The AGM-62 Walleye came into play in the mid-1960s as one of the first American weapons with a television seeker head. It has no engine: after release it descends along a gliding path and is steered by the camera in its nose section, which locks onto a point of contrast on the target before the drop. The crew therefore did not have to stay above the fire of the air defenses and could break away before the bomb landed. This was first proved in combat over North Vietnam.

The letters ER in the designation

The abbreviation on this version points to extended range. The weapon received larger lifting surfaces, so from the same height it glided farther. The wing span is in fact the most conspicuous recognition feature by which the versions are told apart on a model.

The data link pod

Making full use of the glide bomb included relaying the picture back to the aircraft. That task was done by a pod carried on a pylon, and this set carries its designation AN/AWG-16 as well. Without it the crew would have lost the ability to correct the path after release, which is why the pair of weapons and the pod appear together on the pylons.

• Two glide bombs and one pod in a single package.
• 1:48 scale, resin castings.
• The arrangement matches the typical fit under an attack aircraft.

The lifting surfaces are the thinnest part of the casting and will take careful sanding down to a sharper trailing edge. If they warp slightly during storage, dipping them in hot water and holding them flat until they cool will straighten them.