OVERVIEW: The AGM-123A Skipper II is a laser-guided, solid fuel, anti-ship missile based on the GBU-16 Paveway II bomb (LGB).  


DETAILS: The AGM-123 "Skipper II" is a laser-guided standoff anti-ship missile based on existing missile and bomb components. The body of the Skipper is a standard Mk 83 (1,000 lb) GP bomb. The rocket motor is derived from the AGM-45 Shrike anti-radar missile, and the seeker is based on the laser-guided Paveway II series of guided precision bombs.  Although intended primarily as an ASM, the AGM-123 also had the ability to strike land targets.

Specifications: 
Weight: 		582kg
Length: 		4.27m
Wingspan:		1.61 m
Speed:			591 knts (1094 km/hr)
Range:			13.5 nm (25 km)

NOTES:  IOC late 1985. Like the GBU-16, the Skipper used  the inefficient "bang-bang" mode of control (the control surfaces were either deflected fully or not at all), giving the missile's flight path a resemblance to a stone skipping across a pond, leading to the Skipper name.
 

SOURCES:   "AGM-123 Skipper II - En." Military. Accessed September 27, 2019. http://www.military.cz/usa/air/in_service/weapons/ag_missiles/agm_123/agm123_en.htm ; "Emerson Electric AGM-123 Skipper II." Designation-Systems.Net. Last modified September 17, 2004. http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-123.html.