08:37 GMT, September 11, 2009 Following on a political decision confirmed during the latest Franco-British summit on 6 July 2009 in Evian, the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), acting on behalf of the French and British governments has awarded MBDA an initial €50 million contract covering a two-year evaluation phase for a new lightweight helicopter-launched anti-ship missile. From the British point of view, this award comes in the framework of the so-called Complex Weapons agreement, signed in July 2008 between the UK MoD and Team CW (MBDA, Thales UK, Roxel and QinetiQ) to provide the framework for the development of six major weapons systems.
The joint programme effectively merges the French ANL requirement (Anti-Navire Léger, lightweight anti-ship) and the corresponding UK’s Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) requisite. The future ANL/FASGW missile will eventually replace the current AS.15TT and SEA SKUA in service with the French Navy and the Royal Navy, respectively, equipping the NH90 helicopter and light helicopters (PANTHER and its successor) of the French Navy, and the future LYNX WILDCAT of the Royal Navy, for the engagement of surface targets below 500 tonnes.
Operational requirement
The UK’s Future Air to Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) programme is required to deliver a solution to the emerging requirement for a replacement for the Royal Navy’s Sea Skua missile system. This capability will be delivered by a two-missile solution with FASGW (Light) being developed by Thales UK, referred to as the Lightweight Multi-Role Missile System (LMM), and FASGW (Heavy), being developed by MBDA and currently referred to as Sea Skua IR, to complete the overall requirement. The weapon systems are being developed to provide the main armaments for the Royal Navy’s helicopters, including the Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft programme (SCMR). The combination of FASGW Light and Heavy will defeat the wide target threat set encountered in today’s maritime and littoral theatre of operations.
Working closely with the Light Missile Systems (LMS) and the Surface Attack Medium (SAM) IPTs within DE&S, Team Complex Weapons and MBDA and Thales UK have established a common understanding of the requirement set and will work together to optimise the installed performance of the weapon systems. This will ensure commonality in approach where potential costs savings will be realised through minimisation of various trials requirements and harmonisation of approach through alignment of Defence Lines of Development (DLoD) across platform and weapons.
FASGW (Light)
As part of the CW Assessment Phase the Lightweight Multi-role Missile (LMM) is being designed by Thales UK’s Belfast site, with low cost being one of the key drivers. Through the introduction of new proven technology, and the re-use of the best of breed sub-systems, LMM is being optimised to take on a wide range of targets, at sea, on the ground, or in the air – anything from FIAC/FAC, landing craft to wheeled or medium armoured tracked vehicles to unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and helicopters. The missile system is a lightweight, laser guided, missile, which lends itself to being fired on the move from land or naval platforms, or, because of its light weight and zero recoil, can be deployed on fixed or rotary winged UAVs, small ships or lightweight vehicles.
The missile, sealed in its canister, consists of a two-stage motor, warhead and safe arm unit, together with guidance and control equipment. Skid to turn commands to the canards in the nose give extremely accurate guidance of the missile. The blast fragmenting shaped charge warhead, coupled with the proximity fuze, provides excellent lethality against a wide range of targets. Initially the missile will be offered with laser beam riding guidance but there will also be a semi active laser (SAL) variant. The system will also be offered with a family of warheads to provide maximum effect against the wide target set out to ranges of around 8km.
Prototypes of LMM have been successfully flown to prove design concepts. The product was officially launched to potential customers and partners on 2 June 2008 in London. In addition, detailed planning for the realisation of the full integration programme is under way with Team CW working closely with DE&S and the Platform Authority. Account will be taken of other applications in terms of design drivers to facilitate multi-platform deployment, both at the system and sub-system level.
FASGW (Heavy)
As part of this Assessment Phase and as the design authority for the Royal Navy’s Sea Skua lightweight anti-ship weapon system, MBDA is leading the design of a new 100kg modular weapon capability to meet the MOD’s requirements for an air to surface weapon, including to meet the FASGW(H) requirement
Sea Skua entered service with the Royal Navy in the 1970s as a lightweight anti-ship weapon system for fast helicopters such as the Westland Lynx. Used extensively and successfully in the Falklands war and subsequent campaigns in the Gulf, the current system has been widely exported and is expected to remain in service with the Royal Navy until 2015. For FASGW (H), the primary requirement is to sink or disable Fast Attack Craft with the weapon entering service with the Royal Navy from 2015, although expected to be available from around 2013.
The Sea Skua IR 100kg concept is based on modularity and technology re-use with many of the technologies proposed being originally developed by MBDA for the Royal Navy’s new generation Seawolf Block 2 naval air defence missile, the RAF’s ASRAAM air-to-air missile and future Meteor Beyond Visual range Air-to-Air Missile.
The Sea Skua IR 100kg concept builds upon the success of Sea Skua, and maintains some of the characteristics of that earlier system. For example, the general external dimensions and mass remain similar so allowing existing ship storage and transportation to require no modification. However, the new weapon is a significant advance on the original; range is to be almost doubled and the ability to select the precise target aim point will also be available. The seeker option will allow a target image to be relayed via a data link to the operator. This image, coupled with the two way data link, will enable the operator to make changes to the missile flight right up to the point of impact. This facility allows the operator to decide whether to simply disable the target or destroy and sink.
The new weapon is being developed to utilise a combination of its sea skimming capability and its terminal weave to minimise the possibility of detection and counter fire. Its is expected to carry a lethal package of some 40kg.
The target set for the Sea Skua IR 100kg concept encompasses the Fast Attack Craft (FAC) class from approximately 50 tonnes up to 500 tonnes and extends to larger targets such as Corvettes in the 1000 tonne class. The extended range capability enables the helicopter to remain safely outside the enemy air defence range, a limit that continues to grow as air defence systems and their proliferation develop.
The 100kg weapon will form the basis to meet other similar requirements, with a large part of this weapon to be utilised in other similar weapon requirements such as the future air-to-ground missile requirement, SPEAR 2 (Selected Precision Effects At Range) which will equip the UK fast jet force.
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by Dr. Ezio Bonsignore, Editor-in-Chief of MILITARY TECHNOLOGY (MILTECH)
Dr. Ezio Bonsignore
