Editing AGM-65 Maverick (section)

==Deployment==
[[File:A-10 firing AGM-65.JPEG|thumb|An [[Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II|A-10]] firing a Maverick missile]]
The Maverick was declared operational on 30 August 1972 with the [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4D/Es]] and [[LTV A-7 Corsair II|A-7s]] initially cleared for the type;<ref name="FI_AGM">{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1972/1972%20-%203122.html |title=Maverick: smarter than average |date=23 November 1972 |work=[[Flight International]] |access-date=20 December 2011  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105022105/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1972/1972%20-%203122.html |archive-date=5 November 2013}}</ref> the missile made its combat debut four months later with the USAF in [[Operation Linebacker II]], the last major USAF operation of the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>{{harvnb|Clancy|1995|pp=163–164}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Anderegg|2001|p=136}}</ref> During the [[Yom Kippur War]] in October 1973, the Israelis used Mavericks to destroy and disable enemy vehicles.<ref name="Clancy_p164" /> Deployment of early versions of the Mavericks in these two wars were successful due to the favorable atmospheric conditions that suited the electro-optical TV seeker.<ref name="Clancy_p164" /> Ninety-nine missiles were fired during the two wars, eighty-four of which were successful.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1980/1980%20-%202056.html |title=Air-to-ground: Hughes AGM-65 Maverick |date=2 August 1980 |work=[[Flight International]] |access-date=20 December 2011  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105022226/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1980/1980%20-%202056.html |archive-date=5 November 2013}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Laur and Llanso claim that 18 Mavericks were launched for 13 hits during the Vietnam War from January to February 1973, while the Israelis launched 50 Mavericks during the Yom Kippur War for 42 hits and five deliberate misses.<ref>{{harvnb|Laur|Llanso|1995|pp=273–274}}</ref>|group="N"}}.

The Maverick was used for trials with the [[Ryan Model 147#Post-Vietnam use and Ryan Models 234, 259 and 255|BGM-34A]] [[unmanned aerial vehicle]] in 1972–1973. Targeting could be carried out with a TV camera in the nose of the UAV or using the seeker of an [[AGM-45 Shrike]] [[anti-radar missile]] also carried by the UAV to locate the target for the Maverick's camera to lock on to.<ref>{{harvnb|Pretty|1976|p=191}}</ref>

In June 1975, during a border confrontation, a formation of Iranian F-4E Phantoms destroyed a group of Iraqi tanks by firing 12 Mavericks at them.<ref>{{harvnb|Laur|Llanso|1995|p=274}}</ref> Five years later, during [[Operation Morvarid]] as part of the [[Iran–Iraq War]], Iranian F-4s used Mavericks to sink three [[Osa class missile boat|Osa II]] missile boats and four P-6 combat ships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iinavy.org/morvarid.html |title=Operation Morvarid |website=IINavy.org |access-date=22 December 2011  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211123625/http://www.iinavy.org/morvarid.html |archive-date=11 February 2012}}</ref>
Due to weapons embargoes, Iran had to equip its [[AH-1J SeaCobra]] helicopters with AGM-65 Maverick missiles and used them with some success in various operations such as [[Operation Fath ol-Mobin]] wherein Iranian AH-1Js fired 11 Mavericks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://axgig.com/images/79016160811542429413.jpg |title=AH-1J firing Maverick |website=Axgig.com  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516192527/http://axgig.com/images/79016160811542429413.jpg |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url=http://shahedmag.com/official/shahed/toc.asp?magID=5237&No=80 |title=Table of contents |number=80 |date=June 2011 |website=Shahed |language=fa |archive-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202113848/http://shahedmag.com/official/shahed/toc.asp?magID=5237&No=80 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.aja.ir/portal/File/ShowFile.aspx?ID=3b14fc31-0ee4-4e3f-8809-664c181e3b6d |last=Shahmohammadi |first=Hojjat |editor-last=Awani |editor-first=Ali |date=2009 |title=هوانيروز در فتحالمبين |trans-title=[[Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation|Havaniroz]] in [[Operation Fath ol-Mobin|Fath ol-Mobin]] |language=fa |location=Tehran |publisher=Aja (Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran) |isbn=978-964-6630-88-8  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203072800/http://www.aja.ir/portal/File/ShowFile.aspx?ID=3b14fc31-0ee4-4e3f-8809-664c181e3b6d |archive-date=2014-02-03}}</ref>

In August 1990, Iraq invaded [[Kuwait]]. In early 1991, the US-led [[Coalition of the Gulf War|Coalition]] executed [[Operation Desert Storm]] during which Mavericks played a crucial role in the ousting of Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Employed by [[McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle|F-15E Strike Eagle]]s, [[McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet|F/A-18 Hornet]]s, [[McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II|AV-8B Harrier]]s, [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16 Fighting Falcon]]s and [[Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II|A-10 Thunderbolt IIs]], but used mainly by the last two, more than 5,000 Mavericks were used to attack armored targets.<ref name=Factsheet/><ref name="FI_Mav">{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1991/1991%20-%202072.html |title=The Missiles That Worked |last=Elliott |first=Simon |page=38 |work=[[Flight International]] |access-date=20 December 2011  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408220540/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1991/1991%20-%202072.html |archive-date=8 April 2014}}</ref> The most-used variant by the USAF was the IIR-guided AGM-65D.<ref name=FI_Mav/> The reported hit rate by USAF Mavericks was 80–90%, while for the USMC it was 60%.<ref name=ds/> In October 1991, during the early days of the [[Yugoslav Wars]], a Yugoslav MiG-29 [[Bombing of the Banski Dvori|fired]] a Maverick at the [[Banski dvori]], the seat of the Croatian government in [[Zagreb]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Ripley|first=Tim|year=2013|title=Conflict in the Balkans, 1991–2000|publisher=Osprey Publishing|location=Oxford, England|isbn=978-1-8460-3748-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jkq1CwAAQBAJ|p=8}}</ref> The Maverick was used again in Iraq during the 2003 [[Iraq War]], during which 918 were fired.<ref name=Friedman_p562/>

The first time the Maverick was fired from a [[Lockheed P-3 Orion]] at a hostile vessel was when the USN and coalition units came to the aid of Libyan rebels to engage the [[Libyan Coast Guard]] vessel ''Vittoria'' in the port of Misrata, Libya, during the late evening of 28 March 2011. ''Vittoria'' was engaged and fired upon by a USN P-3C Maritime Patrol aircraft with AGM-65 Maverick missiles.<ref name="USEC_Mav">{{cite web |url=http://www.eucom.mil/Article/19526/navy-firsts-during-odyssey-dawn |title=Navy Firsts During Odyssey Dawn |author=U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs |work=[[United States European Command]] |date=31 March 2011 |access-date=20 December 2011  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409041327/http://www.eucom.mil/article/19526/navy-firsts-during-odyssey-dawn |archive-date=9 April 2014}}</ref>
[[File:Teledyne Ryan Firebee 234.jpg |alt= |thumb|[[Ryan Firebee|Firebee drone]] carrying two AGM-65 Mavericks for strike mission.]]