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European Missiles

Aster 15
Aster 30
Eurosam is a Franco-Italian joint venture created by the French companies Aerospatiale
and Thompson-CSF and the Italian firm Alenia/Finmeccanica in order to develop the
anti-missile programme FSAF (Future Surface-to-Air Family), which is organised around
the Franco-Italian missile Aster. This family has a naval component, the PAAMS
(Horizon program) and a mobile land component to be mounted on vehicles which is
currently under development.
The two versions of the missile differ only in the size of their first booster stage and,
consequently, their range: from 1.7 to 30 km in the case of the Aster 15, and from three to
80 km in the case of the Aster 30. When it enters service, the Aster will be the Western
World's first surface-to-air missile with active guidance. The Aster is capable of load
limits of 60 G in its terminal phase thanks to its aerodynamic pilot, in addition to which
there are impulses from lateral jets at the center of gravity, making last-minute
corrections of trajectory possible at the moment of interception. That capability makes
the Aster unique in the world.
In December 1997 Aerospatiale announced two significant firing tests of Aster 15 and
Aster 30 missiles. In the first test an Aster 15 successfully intercepted a sea-skimming
target in a very high electronic countermeasures environment. The Aster scored what the
French immediately called a "Hit-to-Kiss". Aster's impact point was under a meter from
its target's center of gravity. On 11 December 1997, an Aster 30 ground launched missile
underwent s its first validation firing against a real target. The intercept occurred at a
distance of 16.2 nm. (30 km) from the launch point at an altitude of 36,000 ft (11,000
meters). The C22 target was flying at Mach 0.84 (900 km/h) and the Aster 30
intercepting the target head-on and from above at Mach 2.68. The recorded miss-distance
was less than 4 meters.
Aster is capable of evolving in the direction of an antiballistic role in the future. The
missile would be able to deal with ballistic missiles with a range of 1,000 km as they
reenter the atmosphere. The homing head would have to be made more powerful or its
algorithms speeded up, considering the approach speeds involved. The field of the
proximity fuze would have to be reduced from 60o to 30o to increase its sensitivity, and
fragmentation of the explosive charge would have to be adjusted to produce larger
fragments.
The Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS) is a new surface-to-air missile system,
developed essentially to provide medium-range air defence and anti-missile protection for
high-value units, such as aircraft carriers or merchant tankers, in the vicinity of the escort.
The Horizon air defence frigate project involves France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
The program covers the ship and secondary weapon systems, and PAAMS. the PAAMS
has not suffered from London's recent decision to withdraw from the Horizon frigates
program. The Horizon International Joint Venture Co., the prime contractor designated

for the program, is owned by the French firm Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN)
International, the British firm GEC-Maritime Ltd., and the Italian company Orrizonte
SpA. The operational specifications for the frigate were set out in the "Trilateral Staff
Requirements" document signed in 1992. However, the partners encountered major
difficulties in their efforts to reach agreement on the operational capabilities of the
missile system.

Crotale (Rattlesnake) / Shahine

The Crotale is a mobile, all-weather, low-altitude surface-to-air missile system. It is
designed to combat targets flying at a speed of M1.2 at an altitude of 50 to 3,000 m and
an equivalent radar area of 1 m{2}. Crotale, developed by Thomson CSF Matra, has a
boost/glide trajectory and can be launched from mobile launcher. Fired against targets
such as aircraft and missiles, the maximum range of the missile is 8km up to 5000m
altitude at the a speed of Mach 2.3. This is an all-weather, low altitude mobile air defense
missile weapon system designed to counter air saturation attacks. It is equipped with
digital radio command missile line of sight to target line of sight. Crotale has a single
stage solid propelled rocket motor [designated R.440], and a 15 kg high explosive
focused fragmentation warhead.
A typical platoon consists of one Acquisition and Co-ordination Unit (ACU) and two to
three firing units, with a battery having two platoons. The system cannot operate on the
move, but takes less than 5 minutes to become operational once it has stopped. The
missile can be launched within about 6.5 seconds after the target is detected. South Africa
initiated the development of the system by the French company Thomson-CSF in 1964,
and deliveries to South Africa were completed in 1973. In 1971 the French Air Force
took an interest int he program, and by 1978 a total of 20 batteries had been delivered.
Saudi Arabia became a customer starting in 1975.
In 1975 Saudi Arabia ordered a new version of the Crotale, known as the Shahine,
mounted on the chassis of the Giat Industries AMX-30 MBT. The system has a number
of improvements over the standard Crotale. The Saudis also ordered the standard Crotale
in late 1978 and an upgraded version in 1990 for their air force.
In November 1988, at the second ASIANDEX exhibition in Beijing, the China Precision
Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CPMIEC) revealed the FM-80 land-mobile
shelter-mounted surface-to-air missile system on two-axle trailers. The FM-80 is very
similar in concept to the Crotale shelter-mounted version and its naval equivalent.

Specifications
Builder
Length

2.89 m

Diameter

0.15 m

Wing span

0.54 m

Launch weight

84 kg

Propulsion

solid propellant rocket motor

Guidance

command control

Warhead

15 kg HE fragmentation with contact and proximity

fuzing

Max speed

750 m/s

Max effective altitude 5,000-5,500 m (depending upon target velocity)

Min effective altitude 15 m
Reaction time, sec

6.5

Reload time

2 min (full 4-round load)

intercept range

maximum range >10,000 m

minimum range 500 m

Target altitude

(maximum) >5,000 m
(minimum) 15 m

Single-Shot Kill
Probability

0.8

Radar(s)

Thomson-CSF J-band monopulse radar

Detection range, km

18.5

Emplace/displace time
(min)
Basic load on vehicle

4 (no reload missiles on board)

Support vehicles

radar vehicle

Chassis

4 x 4 TEL

Air defense cannon tank Gepard

Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard
Engine performance: 610 KW
(830 HP)
Weight: approx. 47 t
Maximum speed: approx. 60
km/h
Operating range: 420 km
Crew: 3
Armament:
Twin mounted
automatic cannon 35 mm
Rate of fire 550 shot for
each tubing/min.
Combat distance: 3,500
m

Javelin
Javelin is a short-range, shoulder launched, close air defence guided weapon system. Its
primary role is the protection of combat units and static locations against low level air
attack. Javelin is an evolution of the Blowpipe system. It is carried in a Land-Rover and
trailer or a Spartan, but is manportable over short distances. Being replaced by Starstreak
HVM.

Length 1.4m;
Missile Diameter 76cm;
Missile Weight 11.1 kgs;
Max Range 4.5 kms;
Warhead Weight 2.72 kgs;
Max Altitude 3,000 feet;
Max Speed Mach 1.7 +, Fuse Proximity or Impact;
Guidance SACLOS;
Mount Man Portable.

Mistral
The Mistral, a fire and forget missile, equipped with a high technology infrared homing
head, is fully autonomous after firing. Lightweight (20 kg), it reaches a speed of more
than 800m/second (Mach 2.5) and its guidance accuracy, its manoeuvrability and its laser
proximity or impact fuse triggered 3 kg warhead, ensure exceptional effectiveness against
aircraft, helicopters and anti-ship missiles. More than 600 MISTRAL missiles have been
fired under operational conditions with a success rate over 92%. Some 15,000 missiles
have been ordered by eight European countries, eight in Asia-Pacific, four in South
America and three in the Middle-East.

Specifications
Date Deployed

1988

Range

5 km ( at 4 km effective against helicopters )

Speed

1492 knots

Propulsion

two stage solid propellant boost motor

Guidance

All-aspect Infra-red

Warhead

3 kg HE tungsten ball

Fuze

Laser proximity

Launch Weight

18 kg

Length

1.80 m

Diameter

90mm

Fin Span

180mm

Rapier Field Standard C (FSC)

The Rapier FSC system provides a Low Level Air Defence (LLAD) capability over the
battlefield. It consists of a launcher with 8 ready to fire missiles and an electro-optical
tracker (shown). Each fire unit can cover an Air Defence Area (ADA) of approximately
100 square kms.

Guidance Semi Automatic to line Sight (SACLOS):

Missile Diameter 13.3 cm;
Missile Length 2.35m;
Rocket Solid Fueled;
Warhead High Explosive;
Launch Weight 42kg;
Speed Mach 2+;
Ceiling 3,000m;
Maximum Range Around 8 kms;
Fire Unit Height 2.13m;
Fire Unit Weight 1,227kg;
Radar Height (in action) 3.37m;
Radar Weight 243kg;
Generator Height

0.91m.

RBS 23 BAMSE
The Swedish medium range RBS 23 BAMSE surface-to-air missile, developed by Bofors
and Ericsson, is intended to provide air defense to vital targets such as air bases,
command centers, and mobile army forces, by facing a number of threats: anti-radiation
missiles and other stand-off weapons, fighter bombers, helicopters and transport aircraft.
Pre-series production was scheduled to start in 1998, leading to series production being
launched in 2000. The project is in jeopardy because of the austerity program, and the
future of BAMSE will be decided by the cabinet.
In 1993, the Swedish Government ordered full-scale development of the BAMSE Air
Defence Missile System. BAMSE is a joint venture between Bofors Missiles and
Ericsson Microwave Systems in which Bofors has the overall system responsibility.
Series production will begin at the turn of the century.
The system has all-weather capability and a missile range exceeding the stand-off
distance for electro-optical controlled weapons. With an effective altitude coverage of
more than 12 km and a range of 15 km, the BAMSE system is suitable not only for
protection of vital military objects and manoeuvrable ground forces, but also for
protection of infrastructure vital to an entire nation. In cases where a stand-off missile is
released from an aircraft outside the range of the air defence system, BAMSE is still
capable of defeating the attacking missile.
A BAMSE battery comprises one Surveillance Co-ordination Center (SCC) and two to
four Missile Control Centers (MCCs). The Surveillance Co-ordination Center (SCC)
SCC has a 3D-surveillance radar with a characteristic 8 or 12 m high antenna mast which
enables it to operate over terrain obstacles. The SCC includes such features as automatic
tracking, continuous threat evaluation and combat co-ordination. Up to four MCCs can be
individually co-ordinated by an SCC. It also has the capability to co-ordinate and control
other types of Air Defence systems. The MCCs communicate with the SCC by cable,
fibre optic cable or different types of radio. The distance to the SCC may vary, but 10 km
can be regarded as a standard distance.
The Missile Control Center (MCC) contains all the essential elements for Combat
Control and Fire Control. The MCC is towed by a cross-country vehicle which also
transports missiles for reloading. Deployment and fire preparations can be carried out in
less than 10 minutes. The MCC Fire Control Radar, Thermal Imaging System, IFF and
weather sensor are mounted on a stabilised platform on top of a raisable 8 metre high
mast. Guidance of the missile in trajectory is carried out by the Fire Control Radar which
is a further development of the Ericsson Eagle radar and operates on the Ka band, i.e. 3435 GHz. The capability of the MCC to acquire and track low-flying targets is
considerably improved by the fact that it is possible to look over obstacles near the
deployment site. Inside the NBC- and splinter-protected MCC, two operators are
provided with a state-of-the-art situational awareness to enable optimal use of the system.

The missile launcher is located on the roof of the MCC and contains four ready-to-fire
missiles. Complete reloading takes less than 3 minutes.
The BAMSE missile has high acceleration and subsequently maintained high velocity,
resulting in short time-of-flight, even at long ranges. The missile will maintain its high
manoeuvrability right up to the range limit. The high velocity missile has a proximity
fuze and an impact fuze. The warhead provides lethal effect against all types of aerial
targets, from small, high velocity targets such as cruise missiles and anti-radiation
missiles, to large low-speed targets such as transport aircraft.

Specifications
Contractor
Entered Service
BAMSE SCC
Function

Radar Surveillance and Combat Co-ordination

Cabin

Truck-mounted 20 ft (ISO) standard container

Protection

Against splinter and NBC

Crew

1-2

Radar

Ericsson Giraffe AMB 3D radar

Frequency

C (G) -band

Instrumented range

30, 60, 100 km

Altitude coverage

More than 20,000 metres

IFF

Mounted back-to-back on radar antenna

BAMSE MCC
Function

Combat Control & Fire Control

Cabin

Towed, air, sea and land transportable

Protection

Against splinter and NBC

Crew

1-2

Tracking radar

Based on Ericsson Eagle radar

Frequency

Ka (K) -band

Range

30 km

Other sensors

Thermal Imaging System, Weather Sensor

IFF

Built-in IFF antenna.

BAMSE Missile
Velocity

High velocity out to effective range

Manoeuvrability

Very high within effective range

Effective missile range 15 km (+)

Effective missile
altitude coverage

Up to 15,000 metres

Guidance

Command to Line-Of-Sight (CLOS) guidance

Warhead

Combined function of fragmentation and shaped

charge

Fuze

Proximity fuze and Impact fuze

Target types

Attack aircraft, bombers and transport aircraft,

combat and transport helicopter, stand-off missiles
(CM, ARM, etc.) and guided bombs

RBS 70
The RBS 70 is one of Bofors most well-known and established air defence system ever.
This air defence missile system is operational in 13 customer countries all over the world.
In addition to the Army system, it is also operational in some countries in other services
as Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. The RBS 70 has been under constant improvement
adapted to the most sophisticated future threat and using the latest solutions in missile
technology.
The RBS 70 was initially developed for the Swedish Armed Forces requiring:

Long intercept range in the head-on sector

High accuracy and kill probability
Immune to all known hostile and natural jamming
Down to the ground capability
Command to Line of Sight
Growth potential to night capability

Bofors selected laser guidance solution in order to fulfil these essential requirements.
RBS 70 was the first laser guided defence missile system in the world, which means we
have a long experience in this technology. From the very first, the RBS 70 was developed
as a complete missile system and also given a potential of integration with most wheeled
and tracked vehicles. The RBS 70 is superior to competitive man-portable air defence
missile systems. Because of its 7 km intercept range in the head-on sector range it really
belongs to a class other than the VSHORAD.
In its basic configuration the RBS 70 comprises a tripod, sight and missile. In a complete
system configuration several fire units can be connected to a surveillance radar enabling
all C3I functions. A number of radar options with ready interface are available. And
automatic threat evaluation is a part of the combat control at two separate levels.
If RBS 70 isnt interfaced with a surveillance radar it can operate autonomously. In the
RBS 70 VLM (Vehicle Launched Missile) for wheeled and tracked applications, the RBS
70 can easily be dismounted and used independently. With a Clip-on Night Device,
designated COND, the RBS 70 can operate 24 hours a day. A complete RBS 70 fire unit
consisting of the weapon itself, COND and Battlefield Management Terminal (BMT)
requires only batteries as power supply. No cooling gas is required.
The Missile Mk 2 operates with the most modern control method in missile guidance, the
Linear Quadratic Method, based on the Kalman Theory. The missiles shaped charge is
surrounded by more than 3 000 tungsten pellets. The jet of the shaped charge can
penetrate any aerial threat. And if the target is carrying armour the penetration will be
followed immediately by a severe behind the armour effect. In some intercept situations
the combined effect of shaped charge and tungsten pellets will cause a devastating effect.
The laser operated proximity fuze is, like the rest of the system, unjammable. The high
system reliability with the latest missile is more than 0.93 verified by big customers as
the Swedish and Norwegian Armed Forces.

Specifications
Guidance method

Laser beam riding missile

Effective range

7,000 m

Height coverage

4,000 m

Deployment time

30 sec

Reloading time incl.

new firing

Less than 7 sec

Propulsion

Booster and sustainer with smokeless solid propellant

Fuze

Laser proximity fuze with impact function.

Disconnectable by operator.

Warhead

Combined with prefragmentation and shaped charge

(armour piercing)

Kill probability

>90 % in the head-on sector.

Basic load on vehicle

Detection range, km
Reaction time, sec

4-5

Speed

Mach 1.6

Radar(s)

Ericsson PS-70R Giraffe G/H-band radar

Emplace/displace time 1 min

(min)
Support vehicles

4 x 4 radar vehicle

Chassis

Tripod firing stand

Weight
sight

35 kg

stand

25 kg

missile (in container)

26.5 kg

Night Sight (Clip-on

Night Device)

Easy mechanical clip-on with same system

performance as during daytime. No alignment.
Closed-loop cooling system. 8 -12 m m IRwavelength.

IFF

Can be connected. Interface with automatic queries

included in design.

C 3I

Various C3I-concepts available.

Roland
The ROLAND 2 weapon system is intended for anti-aircraft defence of armoured and
mechanized the units to counter aircraft flying to nearly Mach 1.5 and hovering
helicopters. ROLAND is generally employed either in complement of the coverage of
HAWK defense of zones and corridors not defended by the HAWK, or in prolongation of
the HAWK front. ROLAND ensures the overall defense of a zone of 100 km2 vis-a-vis a
threat consisted by a patrol of 4 planes or 2 patrols acting at more than 20 second
intervals. Deployed on a tracked vehicle derived from the tank AMX 30, it comprises a
radar with a range of 16 km, a sighting tube with an infra-red locator that measures the
difference between the missile in flight and the line of sight of the fire control radar, and
a computer antenna for remote control
Two arm-beams for launching carry each one a missile in its launching tube, and two
ammunition stores for munitions each contain one 4 shot mechanism forautomatic
unloading of the arm-beam. The crew of the vehicle consists of three man.
Three operating modes are available in the ROLAND 2: the optical mode; the mode
radar; and the optical mode recopy-radar or radar-recopy-optics. Whatever operating
mode is chosen, the target is detected by the radar, search in site and the continuation of
the target after acquisition is carried out manually in radar mode. In the third mode, one
of the means of continuation is controlled to the different one, which facilitates their
communication. After the firing, the optics or the radar remain pointed at the target, the
computer generates the commands for guidance by using two different groups of
measurements: starting from the measurement angular velocities of pointing and
programmed values of the distance precise alignment is obtained while adding to the
result preceding the commands necessary to the correction by the real variations of the
missile compared to the axis of aiming measured by the infra-red goniometer (optical
mode), or compared to the direction of the target the commands are transmitted to the
missile by the transmitter of remote control.
The missile is ready with the shooting inside its container (tactical packing), itself placed
under the arms launchers of the tank. The vehicle has two missiles ready for firing and
eight in the trunks.
The American ROLAND program was canceled in September 1981. Previously, low-rate
production (LRP) had been approved in FY 79 and FY 80. The initial LRP contracts were
let in October 1979, with planned procurement based upon the eventual production of fire
units and missiles to support a four-battalion force structure concept. Subsequent budget
decisions by President Carter reduced quantities at first to a two-battalion force, then to
one battalion. The DOD budget approved by President Reagan in March 1981 originally
redirected the program back to four battalions, until it was decided to terminate this
effort.

Specifications

Surface to Air (SAM)

Range
Altitude, (m)
Basic load on vehicle
Detection range, km
Reaction time, sec
Firing time, sec
Speed
Reload time
Probability of hit
Warhead
Command guidance
Radar(s)
Emplace/displace time
(min)
Support vehicles
Chassis

Roland II
maximum: 6 000 m
minimal: 700 to 2 000 m according to the
Ceiling
5,500
10 missiles
(2 per launcher)
16.5
4-10
1st shooting: 8 to 10 seconds
later shooting: 2 to 6 seconds
Mach 1.6
approximately 10 second
80%
HE hollow charge
RF SACLOS or CLOS
Siemens/Thomson-CSF D-band pulse-Doppler
search radar,
Thomson-CSF J-Band monopulse Doppler
tracking radar
3
None
AMX-30 , Marder APC, trucks, or in fixed shelters

Sea Wolf
Sea Wolf is a high speed close-range anti-missile with a guidance system of semiautomatic command to line of sight with radar and/or infra-red missile and target
tracking. Seawolf is the only widely used missile in the world that was designed
specifically to kill incoming anti-ship missiles. This closein defense system is designed to
handle antiship missiles in speeds up to Mach 2. The Seawolf missile has successfully
destroyed the Exocet missile. It is fitted in Type 22 (Batch 1, 2 and 3) Frigates. The Duke
Class Type 23 Frigates have had BAe's vertical launch Seawolf system installed and
tested. The missiles are fitted into sealed canisters in a 32cannister silo. Missile exhaust
gases are directed up and out the sides of the canister. The missile uses a thrust vectoring
boost motor for getting the missile up, out and turned over, then the main motor ignites.
The thrust vector and boost motor unit is jettisoned and thereby increases per missile
firing costs a compared to other missiles. It is expected that this VLS will be installed on
all Type 23 frigates. In late 1997 the MoD invited initial expressions of interest in a
proposed Seawolf mid-life update.

Specifications
Contractor
Entered Service
Total length

1.90m (6ft 2.8in)

Diameter

0.30m (11.8in)

Wingspan

0.45m (1ft 5.7in)

Weight

Total round 82-kg (180.4-lb)

Warhead

HE-fragmentation

Propulsion
Maximum Speed

Mach 2+

Maximum effective
range

6.5km (4.04 miles) or

10km (6.2 miles) in vertical-launch
4.7-3050m (15-10,000ft) altitude limit

Guidance mode
Single-shot hit
probability

Starstreak HVM
Starstreak HVM (High Velocity Missile) continues the development path of both
Blowpipe and Javelin. It can be shoulder launched, fired from the Lightweight Multiple
Launcher (LML) or vehicle borne on the Alvis Stormer APC which has an 8 round
launcher (12 reload missiles can be carried inside the vehicle). Starstreak is designed to
counter threats from very high performance low flying aircraft and fast pop-up type
strikes by attack helicopters.

Missile Length 1.39m;

Missile Diameter 0.27m;
Missile Speed Mach 3+;
Max Range 5 kms;
Min Range 300m

The missile is boosted to maximum velocity by a two-stage propulsion system at which

point three darts, each with an impact fuze, are released and are guided on to the target by
the operator. HVM offers a high kill probability against fixed- and rotary-wing targets
including pop-up helicopters. While the SL and LML configurations provide great
flexibility in terms of deployment options, the Armys highly mobile, armoured vehiclebased SP version has been specifically designed to provide close air defence of armoured
formations.

Air Defence Alerting Device

The Air Defence Alerting device is a passive air defence alerter designed to work in
conjunction with the HVM missile system. Operating as an infra red search and tracking
system in the 8 - 14 micron waveband, the alerter is designed to operate against low and
fast moving fixed wing aircraft, as well as the latest generation of attack helicopters. The
alerter can be ground mounted to support shoulder launched / LML HVM or vehicle
mounted on the Stormer HVM vehicle.

Aspide Mk1/Mk2
The Italian Aspide, basically a licensed version of the American Sparrow, is similarly
employed as both an air-to-air and surface-to-air missile, and in the later role it is
launched from both ships and ground platforms. The AIM-7E Sparrow entered service in
1962 and was widely used as a standard for other variants such as the Sky Flash (UK)
and Aspide (Italy). Alenia Difesa offers a complete range of systems, including the air to
air and surface to air systems based on Aspide missile (Spada, Skyguard, Albatros,
ARAMIS).
The Chinese PL-11 medium-range AAM is based on the Aspide, which was acquired by
China in the late 1980s for use in the air-to-air roles, and as with the American and Italian
version, subsequently in the LY-60 system modified for both ground and naval air
defence applications. In reaction to the Tiananmen Square massacre, the European
Council--an EU decision-making body comprised of ministers from EU member
countries--imposed several sanctions in June 1989, including "an embargo on trade in
arms with China." The deliveries of Italian Aspide air-to-air missiles appear to have been
made in connection with pre-embargo agreements. Although a contract for the Aspide
system has been signed with Italian firm Alinea, the government in Rome had not given
its permission to export the missiles to Cyprus, fearing the deployment would only fuel
existing tensions.
Through Alenia Difesa, Finmeccanica offers a complete range of systems, including the
surface to air systems based on the Aspide missile (Spada, Skyguard, Albatros,
ARAMIS);

Specifications
Manafacturer

Selenia

Date Deployed

1987

Range

75 km

Ceiling/b>

8000 m above the launch point

Speed

Mach 4 / 4680 km/h

Propulsion

One SNIA-Viscosa solid-propellant rocket motor

Guidance

Selenia monopulse semi-active radar homing

Warhead

72.75 lb ( 33 kg ) SNIA Difesa e Spazio

blast/fragmentation
: doppler proximity- and direct action-fuzed

Launch Weight

485 lb ( 220 kg ) 230 kg

Length

12 ft, 1.67 in ( 3.70 m ) 3.65 m

Diameter

8 in ( 203 mm ) 210 mm

Fin Span

3 ft, 3.4 in ( 1.00 m ) same

Specifications - Skyguard SAM

Capacity discovery
radar

20 Km

N. fire channels

N. ready missiles to
the launch

12

Time reaction
arranges

11 sec

The maximum
capacity

10 Km

Minimal capacity

750 m

The maximum quota 3.5 Km approximately

Guidance system

homing semiactive

Weight of the missile

220 Kg approximately

maximum speed of
the missile

650 m/sec

Single-shot hit
probability (SSKP)

80%

Aspide Mk1/Mk2
The Italian Aspide, basically a licensed version of the American Sparrow, is similarly
employed as both an air-to-air and surface-to-air missile, and in the later role it is
launched from both ships and ground platforms. The AIM-7E Sparrow entered service in
1962 and was widely used as a standard for other variants such as the Sky Flash (UK)
and Aspide (Italy). Alenia Difesa offers a complete range of systems, including the air to
air and surface to air systems based on Aspide missile (Spada, Skyguard, Albatros,
ARAMIS).
The Chinese PL-11 medium-range AAM is based on the Aspide, which was acquired by
China in the late 1980s for use in the air-to-air roles, and as with the American and Italian
version, subsequently in the LY-60 system modified for both ground and naval air
defence applications. In reaction to the Tiananmen Square massacre, the European
Council--an EU decision-making body comprised of ministers from EU member
countries--imposed several sanctions in June 1989, including "an embargo on trade in
arms with China." The deliveries of Italian Aspide air-to-air missiles appear to have been
made in connection with pre-embargo agreements. Although a contract for the Aspide
system has been signed with Italian firm Alinea, the government in Rome had not given
its permission to export the missiles to Cyprus, fearing the deployment would only fuel
existing tensions.
Through Alenia Difesa, Finmeccanica offers a complete range of systems, including the
surface to air systems based on the Aspide missile (Spada, Skyguard, Albatros,
ARAMIS);

Specifications
Manafacturer

Selenia

Date Deployed

1987

Range

75 km

Ceiling/b>

8000 m above the launch point

Speed

Mach 4 / 4680 km/h

Propulsion

One SNIA-Viscosa solid-propellant rocket motor

Guidance

Selenia monopulse semi-active radar homing

Warhead

72.75 lb ( 33 kg ) SNIA Difesa e Spazio

blast/fragmentation
: doppler proximity- and direct action-fuzed

Launch Weight

485 lb ( 220 kg ) 230 kg

Length

12 ft, 1.67 in ( 3.70 m ) 3.65 m

Diameter

8 in ( 203 mm ) 210 mm

Fin Span

3 ft, 3.4 in ( 1.00 m ) same

Specifications - Skyguard SAM

Capacity discovery
radar

20 Km

N. fire channels

N. ready missiles to
the launch

12

Time reaction
arranges

11 sec

The maximum
capacity

10 Km

Minimal capacity

750 m

The maximum quota 3.5 Km approximately

Guidance system

homing semiactive

Weight of the missile 220 Kg approximately

maximum speed of
the missile

650 m/sec

Single-shot hit
probability (SSKP)

80%

AIM-132 ASRAAM
The Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) is a state of the art, highly
manoeuvrable and combat effective weapon. Many combat aircraft are currently
equipped with radar-guided AIM-120 AMRAAM for long range engagements and the
AIM-9 Sidewinder for close combat. The two missiles are an ill-matched pair, since
nearly four decades separates their origins. construction. While AMRAAM is highly
effective at ranges between 5-50 kilometers, its usefulness diminishes rapidly at a shorter
ranges.
A rival to the American-built AIM-9X Sidewinder, ASRAAM is equipped with a
Raytheon-Hughes infrared seeker which is the baseline for the company's AIM-9X
seeker. The company developed an infrared seeker featuring a unique sapphire dome as
part of an engineering-manufacturing-development and production effort valued at $215
million. This ASRAAM seeker played a part the company's competitive win of the AIM9X missile contract that could lead to some $5 billion in business over the next 20 years.
ASRAAM was initiated in the 1980's by Germany and the United Kingdom, but the two
countries were unable to agree on the details of the joint-venture. Germany left the
ASRAAM project in the early 1990s, and in the spring of 1995 initiated an improved
version of the Sidewinder, the IRIS-T (Infra Red Imagery Sidewinder-Tail controlled)
built by Bodensee Geraetetechnik GmBH (BGT). This decision was largely motivated by
new insights into the performance of the Russian AA- 11 Archer missile carried by the
MiG-29s which Germany inherited during reunification. The Luftwaffe concluded that
the AA-11's performance had been seriously underestimated -- the AA-11 turned out to
be superior to the Sidewinder AIM-9L in all respects: homing head field of view,
acquisition range, maneuverability, ease of designation, and target lock-on. The Germans
concluded that the ASRAAM demonstrated a serious lack of agility compared to the
Russian Archer.
The British Government has spent 636 million pounds (about one billion dollars) since
1992 developing and industrializing ASRAAM. The first ASRAAM was delivered to the
RAF [Royal Air Force] in late 1998. It will be used to equip the RAF's Tornado F3 and
Harrier GR-7 before the missile becomes the British Eurofighter standard short-range
weapon.
In January 1995 British Aerospace Dynamics, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England, was
awarded a letter contract with a ceiling amount of $10,933,154 for foreign comparative
testing [FCT] of the ASRAAM Missile. The purpose of the testing is to gather data to
determine if the missile meets AIM-9X operational requirements. Work was performed in
Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England (50%), Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (25%), and
China Lake, California (25%), and was completed by June 1996. The tests focused on the
risk areas of the ASRAAM: focal plane array effectiveness, seeker signal processing,
warhead effectiveness, rocket motor testing, and kinematic/guidance ability to support the
lethality requirements of the AIM-9X. After several modifications to the scope of the
FCT, the program assessed four ground-to-air sorties, 19 air-to-air captive carry sorties,
four programmed missile launches, eight static warhead tests, and four rocket motor case

tests. The resulting assessment was that the ASRAAM (as is) could not meet the AIM-9X
operational requirements in high off-boresight angle performance, infrared countercountermeasures robustness, lethality, and interoperability. Subsequently, Hughes and
BAe proposed an improved "P3I ASRAAM" using thrust-vectoring to provide increased
agility and to carry a heavier warhead.
In February 1998 the British-French Matra British Aerospace consortium [formed in
1996] won a multi-million dollar contract to supply the ASRAAM missile to the
Australian Air Force to be used on the F/A-18 Hornet. marking the first export sale. The
first missiles should be delivered between 1999 and the year 2000.

Specifications
Manafacturer

British Aerospace

Date Deployed

1998 ?

Range

8 nm ( 300 m to 15 km )

Speed

Mach 3+

Propulsion

One dual-thrust solid-propellant rocket motor

Guidance

strapdown inertial and Imaging Infrared

Warhead

22.05 lb ( 10 kg ) blast/fragmentation

Launch Weight

220.5 lb ( 100 kg )

Length

8 ft, 11.5 in ( 2.73 m )

Diameter

6.6 in ( 0.168 m )

Fin Span

17.7 inches ( 45 cm )

Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile

(BVRAAM)
Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile (BVRAAM) is intended to be the principle airto-air weapon system for Eurofighter. The combination of Eurofighter and a missile
whose range and no escape zone exceeds any other current or projected system over the
next decade will ensure the enhanced capability of the RAF in any future conflict.
BVRAAM is designed to provide performance, particularly kinematic performance,
several times that of existing Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (MRAAMs). The
increased performance will enable pilots to fully exploit the capabilities of their new
aircraft and dominate long range air defence engagements in a manner that no lesser a
solution can achieve.
There is no active radar guided air -to-air missile in service with the Royal Air Force. Sky
Flash is a semi-active missile and requires the launch aircraft to illuminate the target
throughout the time of flight of the missile, which makes it vulnerable to counter attack.
Although Eurofighter will enter service with an AMRAAM capability, BVRAAM will
give Eurofighter the capability to engage multiple targets simultaneously, independent of
parent aircraft manoeuvre, at greater range than AMRAAM and in all weathers day or
night. The UKs Eurofighter partners (Germany, Italy and Spain) and Sweden have an
interest in procuring a missile meeting these requirements and have been fully involved
in the tender assessment, with representatives collocated at Abbey Wood.
A single fighter, equipped with an operational load of BVRAAM missiles, has the
potential to destroy even the most maneuvrable of fighters well before they reach combat
range, and simultaneously engage bombers at long range. Targets are prioritised prior to
launch, and the missiles are fired towards the predicted interception points. Meanwhile
target information can be updated, via the data-link, throughout the initial flight - either
from the launch aircraft or from a third party such as AWACs. Tactical information on
the missile can also be received by the controlling aircraft. At the appropriate time,
BVRAAMs active radar seeker autonomously searches for and locks onto the target. The
missile is now fully autonomous, making its own decisions to home in on the target,
despite any evasive manoeuvres, or decoys or sophisticated electronic countermeasures.
The BVRAAM Invitation to Tender (ITT) was issued in 1995. Bids were received from
two consortia: one led by BAe (now Matra BAe Dynamics Ltd (MBD)), offering a new
system called Meteor and one led by Hughes UK Ltd (now Raytheon Systems Ltd
(RSL)), offering a development of the Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile
(AMRAAM) called Future Medium Range Air to Air Missile (FMRAAM). The Meteor
prime contractor is MBD with partners Alenia, CASA, DASA-LFK, GEC Marconi and
SAAB. The FMRAAM prime contractor is RSL with Raytheon Missile Systems,
Aerospatiale, RO, Fokker and Thomson Thorn.
Raytheon offered FMRAAM (Future Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) for the full
BVRAAM requirement. Moreover, at the MoD's request for a lower cost and lower risk

staged-approach to BVRAAM, Raytheon have offered ERAAM (Extended Range Air-toAir Missile) which provides 80% of the performance of BVRAAM at 50% of the price.
Raytheon has also offered an upgrade path for the AMRAAMs that the MoD will
purchase to initially arm Eurofighter, called AMRAAM B+.
Meteor had been bid by Matra BAe Dynamics [MBD] to meet the UK MoDs Staff
Requirement 1239, for a Beyond Visual Range Air-To-Air Missile (BVRAAM) system.
Meteor is being offered as a pan-European solution for the EF-2000 and Gripen. The
Meteor team comprises Matra BAe Dynamics as the Missile Prime Contractor, with
Marconi Electronic Systems taking responsibility in the guidance systems as the Seeker
Prime Contractor. The active radar seeker is the brains of the missile, and is the result of
Dynamics Divisions experience in high technology guidance systems. Other industrial
partners are Alenia, Marconis Italian joint-venture partner, DASA LFK of Germany,
SAAB of Sweden and CASA from Spain, making it a truly European project. As such, by
sharing development and aircraft integration costs Meteor provides a reliable and cost
effective solution to Europes requirements for BVRAAM and MRAAM (Medium Range
Air-to-Air Missiles). There have been a number of changes to the Meteor configuration,
the most obvious being the addition of mid-mounted wings. Meteor will be fitted with a
solid propellant variable flow ducted ramjet which the Meteor partners see as essential in
delivering the performance characteristics necessary to meet the threat.
The initial tender assessment identified significant risks within both proposals that
precluded down selection and award of a Development and Production Contract. A 12month Project Definition and Risk Reduction phase was introduced with each bidder, at a
total cost of 10 million, and contracts were placed in July 1997. Revised proposals were
received in May 1998 and assessment is underway with contract award scheduled for late
1999.
In May 1998 Secretary of Defense, William Cohen gave assurances to British Defence
Secretary, George Robertson that the US would ensure a fair international competitive
environment for future fighter competitions and that the US would allow the marketing of
AMRAAM-based BVRAAMs on Eurofighter to any nation approved for AMRAAM.

Magic R.550
The largest single competitor for Sidewinder in Western Europe, the Matra Magic R.550
has better design and performance requirements. It can be fired at any speed (no
minimum), meaning that it is a prime candidate for the arming of attack helicopters.
Magic is slightly larger in diameter than Sidewinder, but the launch installation
components in the carrying aircraft were wisely made interchangeable. The tail fins of the
R.550 are free to rotate around the rocket's nozzle, providing of spin-stabilization. The
warhead weighs 12.5 kg, and can be delivered at ranges of more than 6.2 miles.

Specifications
Major operational
capabilities :

All-directions missile

Builder :

Matra

In-service in the
French Air Force :

1988

Propellant

Solid propellant

Propulsion time :

2.2 s

Range

8 miles

Speed

Mach 2.7 / 500 m/s in addition to carriers speed

Length / Diameter :

2.75 m / 0.16 m

Weight

196 lbs / 89 kg

Warhead

HE blast fragmentation

Payload :

12.5 kg (fragmentation)

Guidance

all-aspect infrared

Fuze

radio frequency (RF) proximity

Main user nations :

Greece, Egypt, Spain, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates

Possible carrying
aircraft :

All French Air Force and Navy fighters

Mica
The Matra BAe Dynamics Mica is an innovative lightweight missile that can both
intercept incoming missiles and fire at multiple targets. The Mica is an advanced
medium-range missile that is the French counterpart to the more capable American
AMRAAM missile. Variants include active radar and infra-red homing, providing a
unique ability to select target-engagement options for both short and medium-range
intercepts. The 4A active anti-air seeker was developed by Dassault Electronique within
the framework of a European cooperation, both for the Mica air-to-air missile and, in a
slightly different version, for Eurosam's Aster surface-to-air missile.

Specifications
Guidance

Command, inertial and Active radar or imaging IR

Propellant

Solid propellant

Fuze

Active Radar

Range

50 km / 28 miles

Speed

Mach 4

Length

10 ft

Weight

243 lbs

Warhead

12 kg HE blast fragmentation

Skyflash
Skyflash is a medium-range radar-guided air-to-air missile. Designed to operate in severe
electronic countermeasures conditions, the Skyflash is the RAF's major air defence
weapon. Four are carried by the Tornado F3 under the fuselage. The Skyflash was a
development of the AIM-7E2 Sparrow, retaining its aerodynamics, with a cruciform of
delta control wings mounted on the mid-point of the cylindrical body. It also features a
compatible cruciform of delta stabilising surfaces at the tail. The weapon entered RAF
service in 1978, originally for use by the Phantom.

Specifications
Manafacturer

British Aerospace

Date Deployed

1978

Range

28 miles ( 45 km )

Speed

Mach 4

Propulsion

One Aerojet Mk52 Mod 2 or

Rocketdyne Mk38 Mod 4 solid-propellant rocket motor

Guidance

Marconi XJ521 monopulse Semi-Active Radar Homing

Warhead

87 lb ( 39.5-kg ) HE fragmentation with contact, delay

action fuses.

Launch Weight

425 pounds ( 192.8 kg )

Length

12 ft, 1 in ( 3.68 m )

Diameter

8 in ( 0.203 m )

Fin Span

3 ft, 4 in ( 1.02 m )

Super 530D
This missile, with its unusual fin configuration, was capable of outflying any other air-toair missile of its day with the sole exception of the Phoenix. Its Butalane composite
propellant rapidly accelerates this missile to an incredible Mach 4.5, and sustains this
speed for four seconds until burnout. At this speed the long low-aspect wings are not
necessary, as maneuvering is performed by the rather strangely shaped tail surfaces. It is
the heavyweight of the Matra line, weighing approximately 529 pounds at launch. Matra
is now working to replace the Super 530D with the similar, but much slimmer, Matra
MICA.

Specifications
Manafacturer

Matra

Date Deployed

1988

Range

37 km

Speed

Mach 3.7

Guidance

EMD Super AD26 semi-active radar homing

Warhead

66.1 lb ( 31 kg ) HE fragmentation with radar proximity

fuze
( active radar fuze for D model)

Propulsion time

8 seconds

Launch Weight

275 kg

Length

3.81 m

Diameter

0.26 m

Tailspan

2 ft, 1.2 in ( 0.64 m ) forward fins

2 ft 11.4 in ( 0.88 m ) aft fins

ALARM (Air-Launched Anti-Radar

Missile)
The ALARM (Air-Launched Anti-Radar Missile) is designed to destroy ground-based air
defence radars and surface-to-air missile radars, thereby providing support to attack
aircraft while penetrating hostile air defences. It does this by homing on to radar
transmissions and following them down to their source. It entered service in the early
1990s and proved very effective in the Gulf War. A Tornado GR1 can carry seven
ALARMs. One unique feature is the optional capability to loiter over a target area while
continuing to search for targets. It provides attack aircraft with an on-board suppression
capability which will enable them to press home attacks against heavily defended targets
with a high probability of success.
When fired at an enemy radar source, the enemy can often detect the incoming missile
and switch off their equipment, thereby depriving the missile of a target. ALARM will
ascend to 40,000 feet from where it will deploy a parachute and descending slowly, using
its seeker to search for any radiation source. Once the target has been acquired, the
missile released the parachute and falls under gravity to the target. One other advantage
with this system is that if the target shuts down before the missile has destroyed it, the
missile remembers the location and will still hit the target. ALARM also has several
direct modes, the an one allowing the missile to be fired directly at the SAM once the
emitter has been located.
Manufacturer: British Aerospace / Marconi
Length: 13' 9" /4.24 m. D: 23 cm. Span: 73 cm. Weight: 200 kg.

Exocet AM.39 / MM.40

Exocet missiles started in development in 1967, originally as the ship-launched variant
MM 38 which entered service in 1975. The air-launched version, AM 39, was developed
later starting in 1974 and entering service with the French Navy in 1979. The missile is
designed to attack large warships. A block 2 upgrade programme was carried out from
the late 1980s until 1993, and introduced an improved digital active radar seeker and
upgraded inertial navigation and control electronics.
The Exocet has four clipped delta wings at mid-body and four raked clipped-tip moving
delta control fins at the rear. The missile is 4.7 m long, has a body diameter of 350 mm
and a wingspan of 1.1 m. The missile weighs 670 kg and has a 165 kg HE shaped charge
fragmentation warhead. Guidance in the mid-course phase is inertial, followed by an
active radar terminal phase. There is also a radar altimeter to control the sea-skimming
trajectory, at around 10.0 m until the terminal phase when, in calm sea conditions, the
missile can descend to 3.0 m or so. The solid propellant motor gives Exocet a range of
about 50 km, but when released from 10,000 m (32,800 ft) the range achieved was
reported to be 70 km.

Specifications
Contractor

Aerospatiale

Entered Service

1977

Total length

580 cm

Diameter

34.8 cm

Wingspan

113.5 cm

Weight

855 kg

Warhead

impact with delay- and proximity-fuzed

high-explosive shaped charge, 165 kg

Propulsion

: Condor solid propellant booster, 2 s burn;

Helios solid propellant sustainer, 150 s burn

Maximum Speed

Mach 0.93

Maximum effective
range

65 km

Guidance mode

ESD ADAC X-band monopulse active radar homing

Single-shot hit
probability
Service

France, Pakistan, Abu Dhabi, Argentina, Singapore,

Brazil, Oman, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar,

Peru.

Apache
APACHE is Europe's first operational conventional warhead air-to-ground missile which
can be launched from outside of the range of all anti-aircraft defences. It can hit a variety
of targets, day or night, and is fired from 140 km away thus reducing the dangers for the
pilot and crew. This stealthy air-to-ground standoff missile can be launched from the
Mirage 2000, or the Rafale, both aircraft of the French Air Forces to neutralise enemy air
bases and ensure the control of the skies necessary for troop deployment.
The APACHE AP weighs 1,230 kg and is powered by a TRI 60-30 turbojet, and is
designed for carrying and ejecting ten KRISS sub-munitions to neutralise airfield
runways. The detonation of each of the ten KRISS sub-munitions, which are designed to
penetrate concrete, can be programmed in order to prevent repair work being carried out
and thus neutralise the airfield for a longer period of time. The APACHE AP is a stealth
missile, with a low level of vulnerability achieved by its radar and infrared profiles
(materials, shapes and propulsion), its contour hugging flight at very low altitude (weak
signature "drowned out" by ground echoes) and the optimisation of its flight path with
regard to defence systems (extremely detailed mission planning). The quality of its
navigational abilities combine with its terminal accuracy to make it extremely effective.
The APACHE IZ (Interdiction area) also forms a part of the 1997-2002 national military
plan.
On October 30, 1997 Matra BAe Dynamics (a subsidiary of the Lagardre and British
Aerospace groups), Europe's leading company in guided weapons, won an order worth
approximately 1.5 billion francs from the French Ministry of Defence's Dlgation
Gnrale pour l'Armement (DGA), for one hundred APACHE AP missiles. The assembly
of the missiles will take place in France at Matra BAe Dynamics' Selles Saint-Denis
(Loir-et-Cher) site, with its La Croix Saint-Ouen (Oise) and Salbris (Loir-et-Cher) sites
supplying components. The firing tests at the Landes Test Centre (France) and in Sweden
represented the culmination of the development phase, which began in 1989. The first
qualification firing was successfully carried out in Sweden in August 1997.

Specifications
Country of Origin

France

Similar Aerial
Platform

Tomahawk, AGM-86

Role

Cruise, air-to-ground attack

Armament

Submunitions and HE warhead

Length

16 ft, 4 in (5.01 m)

Span

8 ft, 3 in (2.53 m)

AS 37 Martel
AS 37 Armat
AJ.168 Martel
The AS 37 is the product of a collaboration between the British firm of Hawker-Siddely,
and Matra in France. The AS.37, employed by both the British and the French, uses a
movable receiver aerial to lock onto the hostile radar emission and send guidance signals
to the small set of control fins behind the wings. Length of the AS.37 version Martel is
reported at 412 centimeters, and it weighs 1213 lbs. at launch. Speed is high subsonic,
although it is claimed to break the sound barrier in a steep attack. The updated version of
the AS-37, known as the Armat, was introduced in 1984 using the same airframe but with
an updated radar seeker. The somewhat shorter, television-guided AJ.168 version of the
Martel is used only by the British. The firms Electronique Marcel Dassault (France) and
Marconi (UK) took part in developing the missile. The former created the guidance
system for the AS- 37 version and the latter the electronics for the AJ-168 version.

Specifications
Contractor

Matra

Year

1984

Type

standoff anti-radar missile

Wingspan

1.2 m

Length

3.9 m

Diameter

0.40 m

Launch weight

550 kg

Max. speed

1025 km/h

Maximum range

120 km

Propulsion

two stage solid propellant rocket motors, 2.4 s boost,

22.2 s sustain

Guidance

passive radar homing

Warhead

proximity-fuzed with delayed impact high-explosive

blast fragmentation, 150 kg

Service

France, Kuwait, Iraq.

AS.15
Specifications
Contractor

Aerospatiale

Year

1985

Type

standoff anti-ship missile

Modifications

AS.15 - basic missile

AS.15TT - all-weather version

Service

France, Saudi Arabia.

Wingspan

0.58 m

Length

2.3 m

Diameter

0.18 m

Launch weight

100 kg

Max. speed

1000 km/h

Maximum range

15 km

Propulsion

smokeless nitramite solid propellant rocket motor, 45

second burn

Guidance

radio commands

Warhead

impact-fuzed with delay high-explosive, 30 kg

AS-30L
The AS-30L missile (launch weight 520 kg, warhead weight 240 kg) has a maximum
airspeed of Mach 1.5 and a range of fire from 3 to 10 km. The power plant is a solidpropellant missile engine with two degrees of thrust. Missile control is hydrodynamic
with the help of jet stream reflectors. Employment of the missiles from French Jaguar
aircraft in the Persian Gulf war proved very effective. In the course of combat sorties,
AS-30L launches usually were made from a dive at an altitude of 1.3 km (dive entry
altitude 2.2 km).

Specifications
Aerospatiale
Year

1973

In-service in the
French Armed
Forces :

1985 (on Jaguar), 1993 (on Mirage 2000D), 1995 (on

upgraded Super Etendard)

Type

short- to medium-range standoff missile

Typical mission

Bombardment of targets requiring high precision

Modifications

AS.30 - basic missile

AS.30L - laser-guided version [Data for AS.30L]

Wingspan

1.0 m

Length

3.7 m

Diameter

0.34 m

Launch weight

520 kg

Max. speed

1700 km/h

Ceiling

10000 m

Minimum range

3 km

Maximum range

11 km

Propulsion

two stage solid propellant rocket motors, composite

booster, double-based sustainer

Guidance

semi-active laser homing

Warhead

impact-fuzed high-explosive semi-armor piercing,

240 kg
Can pierce 2 meters of concrete before blowing up

Ignition :

Impact fuse with possible retarded spark

Special related
equipment :

Laser pod Atlis (Thomson-CSF)

Laser designation pod with thermal camera
(Thomson-CSF)

Major operational
capabilities :

High accuracy on target (1m) with ground or airborne

laser lightning (pod Atlis or PDL-CT)
Success rate of 97% for about 60 missiles launched in
the Gulf in 1991 and in Bosnia in 1995

Number of units
produced :

More than 900

Possible carrying
aircraft :

Mirage 2000D, Mirage 2000-5, F 16, Jaguar, Mirage

F1, upgraded Super Etendard, Rafale

Service

France, Great Britain, South Africa, Egypt, Iraq,

Germany, Peru, Switzerland, India.

PDL-CT (PDL-CT S)
Thermal camera laser pod
Builder :

Thomson-CSF Optronique

In-service in the
French Air Force :

1993 (1999 for the PDL-CT S)

Length :

2.85 m

Weight :

340 kg

Related armament :

AS-30 laser ; 1,000-kg BGL ; GBU

Major operational
capabilities :

Detection, target identification, night and day laser

guidance of weapons

Number of units
produced :

50 planned for 2000

Main user nations :

Italy, Saudi Arabia

Possible carrying
aircraft :

Mirage 2000D, Tornado

AS.34 Kormoran
The Kormoran combines range, accuracy, and hard-hitting power in one smooth,
aerodynamic package. Air launched against ships or land targets, the Kormoran employs
inertial guidance for cruising. When it reaches its target at the end of its 23 mile range,
active radar homing takes over. Kormoran's 352 lb. warhead is delay fused, to allow it to
penetrate up to 90mm of steel plate before detonating
Kormoran 2 is the upgunned version of the successful Kormoran 1 guided missile. It has
been adapted to the German Navy plane Tornado and can be deployed as a standoff
weapon against surface vessels. The system utilizes top-notch seeker technology for
target selection and works on the fire-and-forget principle; the range exceeds 30
kilometers.

Specifications
Length

4.4 m.

Diameter

34.4 cm.

Span

100 cm.

Weight

600 kg.

Speed

Mach 0.9

Range

Up to 23 miles

Brimstone
BRIMSTONE utilises a mmW active radar
seeker providing all-weather, 24 hour a day
operation, whilst having virtually
undetectable transmissions. The missile
carries a high-lethality, tandem shaped charge
warhead, capable of defeating all currently
anticipated threats, including Main Battle
Tanks (MBTs) fitted with the latest Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA).
The Royal Air Force needs a replacement for BL755, a weapon that was becoming
increasingly ineffective against modern armour. It was to be carried on Tornado GR4/4A,
Harrier GR7/T10, and Eurofighter, and be capable of defeating the present and future
battlefield threat. The store had to be totally autonomous after launch (fire and forget),
and operate by night or day in all weather conditions.
The Staff Target for an Advanced Air-Launched Anti-Armour Weapon was originally
endorsed in 1981. An Invitation to Tender followed, leading to a Risk Reduction
Programme for two solutions. As a result of Options for Change and Treasury
intervention however, the program was cancelled in 1990, only to be reinstated in 1992,
following a study into the entire UK anti-armour capability. The requirements were
presented to industry via a Cardinal Point Specification which, while demanding
compliance against certain essential features, gave scope for innovation, novel ideas, or
possibly off-the-shelf procurement.
Five different compliant solutions were proposed by industry, comprising two unpowered glide dispensers, two missile-based weapons, and one a hybrid of both
technologies. Bid assessment took place between June 1995 and February 1996,
following which the Equipment Approvals Committee recommended that GEC-Marconi
Radar and Defence Systems Ltd (GMRDS) should be awarded a contract based on their
Brimstone weapon.
Brimstone beat off competition from some of the best-known names in the international
defence market. Hunting Engineering and Texas Instruments proposed SWAARM and
Griffin 38 respectively. These were both glide dispensers that flew un-powered towards
the target before deploying a large number of small munitions overhead to defeat
intended targets. The British Aerospace proposal was a weapon system named Typhoon
and was based on the ASRAAM air to air missile. The final contender was the Thomson
Thorn TAAWS weapon, based on BL755 but with a small rocket motor on each submunition to accelerate it away from the aircraft.
Brimstone is derived from the US Army Hellfire AGM-114F missile, with a weapon
comprising three missiles and a launcher. Powered by a rocket motor it can seek and
destroy targets many kilometres from launch point. A millimetric wave radar seeker
developed by GMRDS achieves ground acquisition and target recognition, while

steerable fins guide the missile towards the target, with final impact causing a tandem
shaped charge warhead to detonate. The first, smaller warhead nullifies reactive armour,
allowing the follow-through warhead to penetrate the main armour.
The contract value is 700 million with the total through-life cost of the weapon coming
to just over 1 billion. The weapon enters service with the Royal Air Force in October
2001. Contractual milestones appear periodically throughout development to mark major
achievements, such as design reviews and successful completion of trials.
The prime contract and weapon Design Authority is Alenia Marconi Systems (formerly
GEC-Marconi) based in Stanmore and, while experienced in defence programmes, this is
their first time as a weapon prime contractor. Their major sub-contractor is Boeing North
American based in Duluth, Georgia who supply the missile bus and launcher electronics
assembly. Flight Refuelling Ltd is the Design Authority for the launcher structure with
Air Log Ltd, producing the missile container. Development activities continue through to
an in-service date of October 2001, and weapon deliveries run from early 2001 until mid
2006.
In October 1998, it was announced that Brimstone had been nominated as one of the
defence programs to become a pilot Integrated Project Team. Carrying a mandate to
investigate gainsharing opportunities, the prime objectives being developed are to
identify and capture significant performance, time and cost benefits over the life of the
project. It was recognised fairly early in the process that due to the maturity of the design,
increased performance would be difficult to achieve without additional risk. Efforts have
therefore been concentrated on cost reduction and optimisation of timescales. The key
issues currently being addressed in pursuit of the time/cost aims are restructuring inservice support, rationalisation of performance requirements, optimisation of capability
for ISD, and minimising the impact of closure of the Boeing plant in Duluth with transfer
of work to St Louis.

Storm Shadow
SCALP EG
Conventionally Armed Stand Off Missile
(CASOM)
The Matra BAe Dynamics (MBD) Storm Shadow missile
system has been selected for the RAF to meet SR (A) 1236, the
Conventionally Armed Stand Off Missile (CASOM). The
contract was awarded to MBD in February 1997 after an
international competition with six other companies. The Storm
Shadow missile system proposed by MBD is based on the flightproven Apache air vehicle, and is optimised to meet UK
requirements. The Storm Shadow system will provide long
range firepower for the Royal Air Force's Tornado, EF 2000 and
Harrier GR7 aircraft, ensuring aircrews no longer to enter heavily defended enemy
airspace in order to destroy high value targets.
The French SCALP EG (Emploi Gnral / General Purpose) is the same weapon as
Storm Shadow apart from national aspects related to both countries. The two similar, but
not identical, Government technical requirements have been fully harmonised into a
single common technical solution. The design was selected by the French government in
December 1994 (APTGD programme) after a competition between Matra Dfense and
Arospatiale. In January 1998 Matra BAe Dynamics (a subsidiary of the Lagardre and
British Aerospace groups) received a major contract from the French Ministry of Defence
for the mass-production of 500 SCALP cruise missiles. The SCALP E.G. will give
Mirage 2000, Rafale and Eurofighter aircraft unprecedented stand-off fire power.
The Storm Shadow is a stealth cruise missile of around 1,300 kg carrying a powerful
conventional warhead. Storm Shadow is an air-launched, conventionally-armed, longrange, stand-off, precision weapon, which is deployable at night or day, in most weather
and operational conditions. It will be able to destroy sensitive and highly protected targets
(command bunkers, communications centers, etc.) with very great accuracy, with a range
of over 250 kilometres after an entirely autonomous terrain-following flight at very low
altitude. It is being developed to attack and destroy a wide spectrum of static, high value
targets as listed below:

C3 (Command, Control and Communication) facilities

airfield facilities
port facilities
ASM/ammo storage
ships/submarines in port
bridges.

Storm Shadow will be integrated onto Tornado GR4/4A, Harrier GR7/T10 and
Eurofighter. It will be capable of employment in all theatres of conflict, and the warhead
is optimised for use against hardened targets.
The Storm Shadow missile requirement embodies the following key features:

very long range

fire and forget, with fully autonomous guidance
low level terrain following
stealth design
effective penetrator warhead
high reliability
all up round [ensures high system readiness]
low cost of ownership.

The Storm Shadow weapon system comprises:

The operational missile and its All Up Round Container (AURC)

Mission Planning Infrastructure
Data Programming System
the Ground/Air Training missile (GATM) and its AURC.

The Storm Shadow missile is derived from the Apache Anti Runway missile. Key
elements of this proven technology have been retained for Storm Shadow, but the
following major modifications are being introduced to meet the particular Storm Shadow
requirements:

new guidance and navigation based on TERPROM [TERrain PROfile Matching]

terrain navigation with an integrated GPS;
terminal guidance using imaging infra-red sensor and autonomous target
recognition system;
the high lethality of the system is achieved by the use of a BROACH [Bomb
Royal Ordnance Augmented CHarge] unitary warhead.
The missile weighs approximately 1,300 kilograms and is just over five metres long. Its
maximum diameter is under one metre, and with its wings deployed, under three metres.
The first phase of the mission planning regime ensures that the missile navigates to the
target with maximum survivability and then enters a robust target acquisition and
terminal guidance phase. For complex and pre-determined missions, much of this data
would have been pre-prepared earlier at the Command Headquarters. Following an Air
Tasking Order, the Squadron would prepare the mission data file with the pre-planned
data, together with the latest operational intelligence.
On approaching the terminal phase, the missile will initiate a bunt manoeuvre, preselected during mission planning, to obtain the best combination of acquisition
probability and lethality against the target. As the missile climbs, it will jettison its nose
cover, thereby enabling the missile high resolution imaging infra-red sensor to view the
target area ahead.

The missiles image processor will compare the actual image features with a reference set
of features, determined during mission planning. When a feature match is achieved the
target will be acquired and the required aim point selection tracked and used as the
reference for the missile terminal guidance. As the missile closes in on the target the
acquisition process will be repeated with a higher resolution data set to refine the aim
point. Tracking will continue against this refined aim point until the precise target
location is identified.
When engaging hard targets, such as Hardened Aircraft Shelters or bunkers, the missile
will strike the target at the estimated optimum dive angle, selected during mission
planning. On impact the detonation sequence commences. The precursor charge will
perforate the target structure, and any soil covering, and the follow through penetrator
warhead will continue to penetrate inside the target to be detonated after a pre-selectable
fuse delay.
Should the mission be against a target with potential high collateral damage, the mission
will be aborted if the target identification and acquisition process is unsuccessful. In this
case the missile will fly to a predetermined crash site.
Major milestones in the future are:

air carriage clearance - July 1999

first guided firing - July 2000
design freeze - January 2001
In Service Date - Late 2001

The contract for the development and production of Storm Shadow was placed with
Matra BAe Dynamics (UK) Ltd in February 1997 after a competitive tender exercise.
This was one of the first contracts to be placed with this contractor. Matra BAe Dynamics
(UK) Ltd is a subsidiary of Matra BAe Dynamics SAS, a company jointly owned by BAe
plc and Lagardere SCA. Matra BAe Dynamics (France) Ltd has won the SCALP EG
contract from the French Government.
The two parts of Matra BAe Dynamics act as separate Prime Contractors and hold the
individual Storm Shadow and SCALP EG contracts for their respective national
Governments. This has resulted in an industry collaborative programme that has
undertaken certain aspects of the work normally handled by both Governments, such as
the harmonisation of national requirements and the merging of national procurement
methods. These aspects are exclusively carried out by Matra BAe Dynamics by a fully
integrated French and UK management and engineering team. This common solution is
shared by the subcontractors base who only have a single subcontract which embraces
the joint requirements. This has resulted in a collaborative programme which is largely
transparent to both Governments, and attracts little of the procurement overhead often
associated with Government collaborative programmes. This approach has also had the
added benefit of driving down costs and enabled both Governments to obtain more
weapons for their money.

KEPD 150
KEPD 350 MAW Taurus
KEPD 150 is a member of the TAURUS family of advanced long range, high precision
stand-off weapon systems. It will provide the JAS 39 Gripen with an enhanced strike
capability against a broad target spectrum. The accuracy and stand-off capability ensure
highly effective weapons delivery while minimising the threat to aircraft and crew and
largely avoiding collateral damage. The KEPD 150 successfully performed its first
captive flight test on JAS 39 Gripen at the FMV Test Center in Linkping, Sweden, on 27
August 1998. The test was part of the definition phase contracted by the Swedish
Defence Material Administration (FMV). The KEPD 150 can be operational with the
JAS 39 Gripen within five years. KEPD 150 has a high degree of commonality with the
MAW TAURUS KEPD 350 being in full scale development at TAURUS Systems
GmbH for the German Air Force TORNADO under contract from the German BWB.
The Swedish defense contractor Bofors is working with DASA on the development of a
new cruise missile - the MAW Taurus KEPD 350, which will be fitted on the Tornado
aircraft of the German Air Force. It can also be adapted for the Eurofighter. Delivery is
scheduled for 2001. The project is managed by TAURUS Systems GmbH, a joint venture
company owned by Dasa/LFK-Lenkflugkrper-systeme GmbH (67%) and Celsius AB,
Bofors Missiles (33%). Whether the Taurus will be developed also for Sweden, which
currently does not have any cruise missiles, is yet to be decided. The Taurus KEPD 350 is
the first European Global Positioning System guided missile with large range (over 350
kilometers) against surface and point targets. The MAW Taurus possesses a modular
avionics system, an infrared seeker, a Penetrator (Mephisto), and a turbo-fan engine for
speeds greater than 0.8 Mach.

Specifications
Contractor

Bofors + Chrysler-Daimler-Benz

Entered Service

2001

Total length
Diameter
Wingspan
Weight
Warhead Weight
Propulsion

turbo-fan

Maximum Speed

0.8 Mach

Maximum effective
range

over 350 kilometers

Guidance mode

Single-shot hit
probability

RBS15
The Saab RBS15 family of long-range anti-ship missile systems is designed to meet
future requirements in a variety of operational circumstances in open-sea engagements,
anti-invasion defence and littoral warfare close to land or among islands. RBS15, which
is in service in Sweden and with a number of export customers, can be easily installed on
naval craft ranging in size from fast patrol boats upwards, on highly mobile and rapidly
deployable trucks, and on aircraft. In all three cases, the missiles have the same
intelligent, frequency-agile radar seeker, advanced navigation, guidance and altimetry
electronics, and powerful defence penetration and hit capabilities.
RBS15 is a fire-and-forget anti-ship missile with all-weather, day and night operational
capability. The new-generation RBS15 Mk3 offers extended range and increased tactical
flexibility compared with earlier versions. The system's features operational and tactical
versatility with a very flexible trajectory, including a flight range of more than 200 km a
large number of waypoints and altitudes extremely low sea-skimming with sea-state
adaptation. It provides sophisticated target discrimination and selection with high
resistance to electronic countermeasures and easy engagement planning with extensive
decision support.

Sea Skua
The Sea Skua anti-surface missile was launched 12 times during the Gulf War - and
registered 12 hits. Able to fire the Sea Skua, which was so successful during the Gulf
war, the Lynx forms an integral part of the ships detection and weapon system and can
project the influence of a ship over great distances with the key element of surprise. In
addition to the Sea Skua the Lynx has the Sting Ray torpedo and the older technology but
nevertheless most effective depth charge for anti-submarine warfare. The UK Ministry of
Defence has problems maintaining three types of naval missile made by British
Aerospace (BAe), the Sea Dart area air defence weapon, the Seawolf point defence
missile and the helicopter-launched Sea Skua light anti-ship missile. These missiles all
have problems with ageing components.

Specifications
Contractor

British Aerospace

Year

1982

Type

helicopter-launched anti-ship missile

Wingspan

0.72 m

Length

2.5 m

Diameter

0.25 m

Launch weight

145 kg

Max. speed

1050 km/h

Minimum range

2 km

Maximum range

25 km

Propulsion

solid propellant rocket motor booster and sustainer

Guidance

I-band semi-active radar guidance

Warhead

delayed impact-fuzed high-explosive armored, 28 kg

Service

Great Britain, Germany, India, Turkey.

Eryx
Eryx is a Short Range Anti-Armour Weapon (Heavy) or SRAAW(H). It is a portable
system including the firing post, the tripod, the Mirabel thermal imager and the missile
tube. It provides the infantry section and the armoured reconnaissance assault troop with
an improved capability in accuracy and penetration. Fired from the shoulder or using the
tripod, Eryx can defeat all modern static or moving tanks. With its tandem high explosive
warhead, it is effective against bunkers, earth works, and armour targets even when
equipped with explosive reactive armour (ERA). Eryx can operate in all weather
conditions, in normal battlefield smoke and at night. Its high flexibility allows it to
operate in open ground, wooded zones or an enclosed space in built-up areas. It can be
transported in most Canadian combat vehicles. A practice inert missile is also available
for training.
Basic training is conducted by using the Eryx video interactive gunnery simulator
(EVIGS). The Eryx precision gunnery simulator (EPGS) is another simulator used for
advanced training.

Crew
1 gunner and 1 loader

Characteristics
Calibre
missile:
main warhead:

137.4 mm
136 mm

Warhead:

Tandem shaped charges high explosive (HE)

Weight
firing post:
tripod:
thermal imager:
missile tube: in tactical
container:

5 kg
5 kg
3.5 kg
12.5 kg

Range:

50 m to 600 m

Time of flight to maximum

range:

4.3 seconds

Guidance:

optically tracked, single wire semi-automatic command

to line of sight

Control:

thrust vector controlled

Missile velocity
at launch:
at 600 m:

18 m/s
245 m/s

Rate of fire:

5 missiles in two minutes

Operating conditions:

-31C to +51C

Sights:

optical and thermal imagery

Manufacturers
Eryx:
Mirabel thermal imager:
EVIGS:
EPGS:

Aerospatiale, France
TCO/Asaca, Montreal, Canada
Simtran, Montreal, Canada
Lockheed Martin Solartron Systems, United Kingdom

HOT
The joint venture Euromissile was created in 1972 by Germany's Daimler-Benz
Aerospace (DASA) and France's Aerospatiale SA. Since the mid-1970s, and to this day,
its Milan and Hot anti-tank weapons and the Roland surface-to-air system have been
highly successful. The Hot anti-tank system was developed by Euromissile for the French
and German armies for use on land vehicles and helicopters. Hot was officially selected
in 1997 by France and Germany to be mounted on the new Franco-German Tiger
helicopter.

Specifications
Contractor

Euromissile

Year

1978

Type

anti-tank missile

Modifications

HOT - basic missile

HOT 2 - larger warhead, introduced in 1986

Wingspan

0.31 m

Length

1.3 m

Diameter (HOT)

0.14 m

Diameter (HOT 2)

0.15 m

Launch weight
(HOT)

23.5 kg

Max. speed

900 km/h

Minimum range

0.075 km

Maximum range

4 km

Propulsion

two stage solid propellant rocket motors

Guidance

line of sight via wires

Warhead

impact-fuzed high-explosive hollow charge, 3 kg (4

kg in HOT 2)

Service

France, Germany, Great Britain, Syria, Saudi Arabia,

Belgium, Egypt, Qatar, Morocco, Iraq, Spain, China,
Cameroon, South Africa, Gabon, Kuwait

Milan
The joint venture Euromissile was created in 1972 by Germany's Daimler-Benz
Aerospace (DASA) and France's Aerospatiale SA. Since the mid-1970s, and to this day,
its Milan and Hot anti-tank weapons and the Roland surface-to-air system have been
highly successful. Milan is a second generation anti-tank weapon, the result of a joint
development between France and West Germany with British Milan launchers and
missiles built under licence in the UK. The Milan consists of two main components, the
launcher and the missile; these are simply clipped together to prepare the system for use.
On firing, the operator has only to keep his aiming mark on the target and the Semi
Automatic Command to Line of Sight (SACLOS) guidance system will do the rest. The
missile is guided for its entire trajectory by an automatic device of remote control using
the infra-red radiation (MILAN 1) or an electronic-flash lamp (MILAN 2). Milan, which
was initially developed for the French and German infantry, is now in service in 41
countries all over the world. The new-generation weapon Milan 3 has been in service
since 1996.

Specifications
Contractor
Entered Service
Max Range

2,000m;

Min Range

400m;

Length

918mm;

Weight

6.73kg;

Diameter

125mm;

Wing Span

267mm;

Rate of Fire

3-4rpm;

Warhead

Weight 2.70kg;
Diameter 115mm;
Explosive Content 1.79kg;

Firing Post
Weight

16.4kg;

Length

900mm;

Height

650mm;

Width

420mm;

Armour Penetration

352mm;

Time of Flight to

12.5secs;

Max Range
Missile Speed

720kph;

Guidance

Semi-Automatic command to line of sight by means

of wire guidance link.

Milas torpedo carrier missile

GIE MILAS, a joint venture company formed by MATRA BAe Dynamics France and
Alenia Difesa of Italy, originally designed, developed, and built the MILAS system to
launch the MU 90 Franco-Italian torpedo. GIE MILAS is pursuing the adaptation of the
Mk 46 torpedo into the MILAS ASW Missile System in order to offer the MILAS system
as a stand-off ASW weapon systems capability to the 24 navies that carry the MK 46
torpedo. Raytheon signed a $1.7 million engineering development contract in October
1997 with GIE MILAS to support the integration of the Mk 46 torpedo into the MILAS
Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) Missile System. In April 1998 France decided not to
produce or acquire this system, which was developed in a Franco-Italian cooperative
arrangement.

Next Generation Light Anti-Armour

Weapon (NLAW)
NLAW is a man-portable, shoulder-launched, short range, light anti-armour weapon
effective at short and very short ranges against modern armoured vehicles. Bofors CarlGustaf SAB of Sweden are offering the MBT LAW and Matra Bae Dynamics UK Ltd,
based in Stevenage, are offering the Kestrel weapon system. The Project Definition phase
will last around 22 months, during which both companies will develop their proposals for
the Full Development and Production phase. The contracts will also include development
work and demonstration of the proposed solutions, together with other risk reduction
activities. Following an assessment of the resulting proposals, a single contract for Full
Development and Production is expected to be awarded in 2002. The NLAW project has
a total value in excess of Pounds Sterling 300m. It is expected to enter service around
2006 and will replace the current light anti-armour weapon, LAW 80, which was last
produced in 1993.

Pansarvarn RBS 56 BILL

The Bofors BILL 2 multi-mission guided weapon is a further development of the highly
successful BILL system. In BILL 2 Bofors has refined the Overfly Top-attack technology
(OTA), already proven to be the only effective tank killing method for the future,
enhanced the capability with a dual-warhead, and created new modes for different target
types such as non-armoured vehicles and soft targets.
In the Basic Mode the missile flies 1.05 meters above the Line-Of-Sight and attacks the
target from above, avoiding the heavily protected frontal arc. And to increase combat
flexibility the gunner has two more firing modes at his command. The warhead
arrangement, with its vertically striking shaped charges, compensated for dynamic
effects, have demonstrated BILL 2s very high Single Shot Kill Probability (SSKP). Any
MBT, old or new, whether equipped with the most advanced add-on/integrated protection
or not, will be effectively and immediately put out-of-action. The effective combat range
for both static and moving targets is 150-2,200 meters and the flight time at maximum
range is 13 seconds. BILL 2 has a SACLOS guidance system and the missile is wireguided. The guidance system contains a flight simulator with a computerised model in the
sight, simulating the whole target engagement. A parallel engagement simulation in real
time is created via the continuous comparisons made between simulation and reality,
using processed in-put signals from the missile tracker and the angle indicator. The laser
beacon in the aft of the missile transmits individually coded laser signals back to the sight
(missile tracker), making the system immune to jamming. The missile system
incorporates both an interactive, dual-purpose sensor system and an impact fuze.
The Warhead Initiation Function consists of: Optical sensor; Magnetic sensor; Impact
fuze; and Proximity fuze algorithms. The optical sensor is, in effect, a range finder, which
measures the distance from the missile to the surface below, profiling it simultaneously.
And as the transmitting signal is coded, the optical sensor is in-possible to jam. The
magnetic sensor measures the characteristic signatures from specifically defined metallic
objects and discriminates whether they are relevant or non-relevant. The inertial impact
fuze is used for direct attack.
The gunner can select any of the three firing modes before missile launch: Basic Mode;
Non-Armoured Target Mode; and Soft Target Mode. In the basic mode all sensors are
activated and the missile flies with an elevated flight path with warhead initiation
algorithms optimised for the BILL 2 defined threat. In the non-armoured target mode
all sensors are disconnected and the missile flies on the Line-Of-Sight using the Impact
Fuze function. In the Soft Target Mode the Magnetic Sensor is disconnected and only
the Optical Sensor activated and the missile flies with an elevated flight path with special
warhead initiation algorithms.
BILL Night Sight is an add-on thermal imaging night sight, primarily for use with the
BILL portable medium-range anti-tank missile system, made by Bofors Missiles and
intended for use in darkness and under poor visibility situations. The Bill Night Sight is
mounted on top of a day-sight with the thermal picture mirrored into the front lens of the
day-sight.

Specifications
Performance
Guidance system

SACLOS, wire-guidance

Effective Combat
Range (stationary and
moving target)

150 - 2.200 m

Operational
temperature

-30C +60C

Shelf life

>15 years

Weight
Day Sight

6.0 kg

Thermal Imaging
System

8.5 kg

Tripod

11.8 kg

Missile in launch tube

20.0 kg

Missile in flight

10.5 kg

Magnification
Day sight

x7

Thermal Imaging
System

x1

Time-of-flight
150 m

1.3 sec

300 m

2.1 sec

1,000 m

5.2 sec

1,500 m

7.9 sec

2,000 m

11.4 sec

2,200 m

13.0 sec

Trigat
Trigat is a European missile program involving France, Germany and the United
Kingdom. The missiles are being developed by the Euromissile Dynamics Group, a
consortium composed of Aerospatiale (France), MBD/UK (United Kingdom) and
Daimler Benz Aerospace (Germany). The missile has a tandem, high explosive hollow
charge which can defeat modern Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) equipped targets. Its
general arrangement is similar to Milan and is equipped with a Thermal Imaging sight to
allow engagement to maximum range by day or night, in all weather conditions.
TRIGAT is being developed in two variations, TRIGAT-MR for medium range
applications and TRIGAT-LR for long range applications. The missile is also known as
PARS-3, Panzerabwehr Rakensystem 3 (Armour defence rocket system 3 in the German
language), and AC 3G, AntiChar de 3e Generation (Anti-tank of the Third Generation in
French).
The development of the Trigat (medium-range) continues, but France has withdrawn
from the Trigat LR (long-range) project. Long Range Trigat is a ten year development
project. This means that the original contract money ensures only that the missile will be
developed (to the stage of manufacturing design), not that it will necessarily go into
production.
MR TRIGAT is a crew portable MR ATGW system which will replace MILAN in the
armed forces of the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. France and
Germany have already signed the MOU for the next phase. The British Army will get the
Medium Range (MR) TRIGAT project to provide its principal Medium Range Anti-Tank
Guided Weapon System (ATGWS), in collaboration with France, Germany, the
Netherlands and Belgium. The UK is also considering procurement of a lighter system
for deployment with airborne and commando units. Once the contract has been let, the
programme will transfer to management by OCCAR, the armaments co-operation
organisation formed in 1996 by the UK, France, Germany and Italy. MR TRIGAT
industrialisation and production has a total value to the partner nations of about Pounds
Sterling 1bn. The British Army will buy 45% of all the systems produced, with the
signing expected to spur action by Belgium and the Netherlands, according to
manufacturers Matra BAe Dynamics, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace/LFK, and Aerospatiale
Matra Missiles. The companies will make 1,600 firing units, 1,200 thermal sights, and
more than 35,000 medium-range Trigats, with a global value of more than 8 billion
French francs, about $1.33 billion U.S. at current rates of exchange, over a 10-year
period.

Specifications
Contractor
Entered Service
Total length
Diameter
Wingspan
Weight

Missile Launch Weight 18.2 kgs;

Firing Post Weight 16.5 kgs;
Thermal Sight Weight 10.5 kgs;

Warhead Weight
Propulsion
Maximum Speed
Maximum effective
range

2000 meters

Guidance mode

Laser Beam Riding SACLOS

Single-shot hit
probability

Polyphem
The Polyphem missile system is under development for Germany, France and Italy by the
Euromissile consortium consisting, respectively, of DASA, Aerospatiale Missiles and
Consorzio Italmissile. The optic fibre-guided Polyphem missile is intended for two kinds
of mission: isolated strikes from light land vehicles against long-range targets or from
small ships or helicopters against land-based targets. The Polpyhem optics guided missile
system provides combat support and permits highly precise artillery operations against
point targets over long distances. The system can also be deployed from ships. The range
amounts to 60 kilometers. Polyphem features an imaging infrared seeker as well as a
multipurpose warhead.