Editing AIM-7 Sparrow (section)

===Sparrow I===
[[File:Douglas XF3D-1 Skyknight in flight with four AAM-N-2 Sparrow missiles, circa in the early 1950s.jpg|thumb|left|Sparrow I's during tests on a [[Douglas F3D Skyknight]] in the early 1950s]]

The Sparrow emerged from a late-1940s [[United States Navy]] program to develop a guided rocket weapon for air-to-air use. In 1947 the Navy contracted [[Sperry Corporation|Sperry]] to build a [[beam riding|beam-riding]] version of a standard {{convert|5|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}} [[HVAR]], the standard unguided aerial rocket, under  '''Project Hotshot'''. The weapon was initially dubbed '''KAS-1''', then '''AAM-2''', and — from 1948 on — '''AAM-N-2'''. The airframe was developed by the [[Douglas Aircraft Company]]. The diameter of the HVAR proved to be inadequate for the electronics, leading Douglas to expand the missile's airframe to {{convert|8|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}} diameter. The prototype weapon began unpowered flight tests in 1947, and made its first aerial interception in 1952.<ref name=Designation_Systems/>

After a protracted development cycle the initial '''AAM-N-2 Sparrow''' entered limited operational service in 1954 with specially modified [[Douglas F3D Skyknight]] all-weather carrier night fighters.<ref>{{cite book|title=Guided Missiles Ride Navy Jet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sdwDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA116|date=November 1954|publisher=Hearst Magazines|page=116}}</ref> In 1956, they were joined by the [[McDonnell F3H Demon|McDonnell F3H-2M Demon]] and [[Vought F7U Cutlass]] [[fighter aircraft]]. Compared to the modern versions, the Sparrow I was more streamlined and featured a bullet-shaped airframe with a long pointed nose.

Sparrow I was a limited and rather primitive weapon. The limitations of beam-riding guidance (which was slaved to an optical sight on single-seater fighters and to radar on night fighters) restricted the missile to attacks against targets flying a straight course and made it essentially useless against a maneuvering target. Only about 2,000 rounds were produced to this standard.