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Armed Forces - Air-to-air weapons - ASRAAM, SIDEWINDER AIM - 9L,
SKYFLASH, AMRAAM, METEOR (BVRAAM)
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ASRAAM
SIDEWINDER
AIM-9L
SKYFLASH
AMRAAM
METEOR
(BVRAAM)
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ASRAAM
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ASRAAM
is a fast, highly agile, fire and forget IR missile for short
range air-to-air combat, able to counter intermittent target
obscurity in cloud and severe Infra-Red countermeasures.
It is carried on Tornado F3, Harrier GR7/9, and the Typhoon. It will replace
Sidewinder AIM-9L albeit that this will remain in service in
parallel for a period.
The programme cost some £857m. There were considerable
technical problems and delays before service entry in 2002.
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ASRAAM
Specifications
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Length
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2.9m
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Diameter
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0.17m
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Weight
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88kg
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Cruising
speed |
Mach
3.5+ |
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Range |
over
10 miles |
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Guidance
Imaging |
IR
128 x 128 element focal plane array |
Photo
courtesy of Matra BAe Dynamics
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SIDEWINDER
AIM-9L
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The Sidewinder missile, which
is carried by all the RAF combat aircraft as well as the
Hawk and Nimrod MR2, is an infra-red weapon which homes
onto the heat emitted by a hostile aircraft's engines.
Sidewinder can operate independently of the aircraft's
radar, and provides the air-defence aircraft with an
alternative method of attacking targets at shorter ranges.
Sidewinder has an excellent dogfight capability.
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SIDEWINDER AIM-9L
Specifications
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Diameter
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0.13m
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Span
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0.63m
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Length
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2.85m
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Total Weight
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85.3kg
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Warhead Weight
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9.5kg
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Propulsion
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Solid fuel rocket
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Speed
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Mach 2.5
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Range
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10-18km
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Guidance
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Solid-state, infrared homing system
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Photo
Crown Copyright
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SKYFLASH
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Skyflash
is an advanced radar-guided air-to-air missile based on
the US-designed AIM-7 Sparrow
which was taken into service in 1977, but with improved
guidance and fusing systems.
Designed
to operate in severe electronic counter-measure
conditions, it has an all-weather high/low altitude attack
capability.
Skyflash is in service on F3 air-defence variant of the Tornado. It
was the RAF's major air-defence weapon before the
acquisition of AMRAAM.
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SKYFLASH
Specifications
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| Length
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3.66m
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Diameter
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0.203m
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Span
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1.02m
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Weight
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192kg
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Warhead Weight
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30kg
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| Guidance
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Marconi monopulse semi-active radar homing system
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Range
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50km
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Photo
Crown Copyright
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AMRAAM
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AMRAAM
(Advanced medium-range air-to-air missile) is a US air
fighting weapon that matches the fire-and-forget
capability of the ASRAAM, but with greater range. There is
increased immunity over electronic countermeasures and a
low-smoke, high-impulse rocket motor to reduce the
probability of an enemy sighting the missile.
This
system is in use by Tornado F3, and will be used by the
Eurofighter Typhoon. In addition, trials were underway
during late 2000 with AMRAAM fitted to Jaguar GR1B. AMRAAM
has been in service with the Fleet Air Arm since
1995, and the initial purchase was believed to be some 210
missiles worth some £50m.
For
Typhoon, the current cost for AMRAAM procurement is £214m
with deliveries planned to begin from mid-2005.
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AMRAAM
Specifications
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| Length
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3.66m
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Diameter
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0.18m
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| Span
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0.48m
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| Weight
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161.4kg/336
lbs |
| Cruising speed
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Mach 4 |
| Range
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approx 30
miles |
| Guidance System
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Active
radar terminal/inertial midcourse
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Photo
courtesy of Raytheon
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METEOR
(BVRAAM)
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The
Beyond-Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM)
(also known as Meteor)
should provide Eurofighter
with the capability to combat projected air-to-air
threats and sustain air superiority throughout
the life of the aircraft.
The
weapon is required to operate in all weather
conditions and will
complement the Eurofighter Advanced Short-Range
Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM). Until Meteor enters
service, Eurofighter will be armed with the
Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM).
Meteor
is a collaborative programme with five partner
nations; Germany, Spain and Italy (for Eurofighter),
Sweden (for JAS 39 Gripen) and France (for Rafale).
The full development and initial production contract
worth £1.2bn was signed by the parties in December
2002. In-service date has slipped to 2012 and the projected RAF cost overall is
some £1.4bn.
Photo
courtesy of BAE Systems |
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