Editing AGM-65 Maverick (section)

==Design==
[[File:AGM65B Optik.jpg|alt=|thumb|AGM-65B Optical seeker]]
The Maverick has a [[modular design]], allowing for different combinations of the guidance package and warhead to be attached to the rocket motor to produce a different weapon.<ref name=Factsheet/> It has long-[[Chord (aircraft)|chord]] [[delta wing]]s and a cylindrical body, reminiscent of the [[AIM-4 Falcon]] and the [[AIM-54 Phoenix]].<ref name=B&M_230/>

Different models of the AGM-65 have used electro-optical, laser, and imaging infrared guidance systems. The AGM-65 has two types of [[warhead]]: one has a [[contact fuze]] in the nose, the other has a heavyweight warhead fitted with a delayed-action fuze, which penetrates the target with its [[kinetic energy]] before detonating. The latter is most effective against large, hard targets. The propulsion system for both types is a [[solid-fuel rocket]] motor behind the warhead.<ref name=Factsheet/>

The Maverick missile is unable to lock onto targets on its own; it has to be given input by the pilot or [[weapon systems officer]] after which it follows the path to the target autonomously. In most modern aircraft with [[Multi-function display|MFDs]], an [[Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II|A-10 Thunderbolt II]] for example, the video feed from the seeker head is relayed to a screen in the cockpit, where the pilot can check the locked target of the missile before launch. A crosshair on the [[heads-up display]] is shifted by the pilot to set the approximate target, where the missile will then automatically recognize and lock on to the target. Once the missile is launched, it requires no further assistance from the launch vehicle and tracks its target automatically. This [[fire-and-forget]] property is not shared by the E version that uses [[Laser guidance|semi-active laser homing]].<ref name=ds/>

While the Maverick missile's seeker can be used as a way to locate and lock targets, external [[targeting pod]]s are used more often. The seeker head follows the movements of the targeting pod and attempts to point at the same point on the ground. [[G-force]]s throughout flight, however, often cause misalignment in the seeker head, requiring pilots to boresight the missile seeker to the targeting pod prior to locking up a target.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leone |first=Dario |date=2021-12-27 |title=A-10 pilot explains why Warthog drivers often boresight the AGM-65 Maverick on wingman rather than on a ground target |url=https://theaviationgeekclub.com/a-10-pilot-explains-why-warthog-drivers-often-boresight-the-agm-65-maverick-on-wingman-rather-than-on-a-ground-target/ |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=The Aviation Geek Club |language=en-GB}}</ref> To boresight, a certain reference point on the ground is locked by the targeting pod, known as the Sensor Point of Interest (SPI). The Maverick missile's seeker head is then adjusted to correct small offsets, so that it points at the same SPI as the targeting pod. This allows for simpler target acquisition and deployment.