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2015-09-01

RULING THE WAVES

The elite missile technologies for naval warfare

Missiles are a vital component of any successful navy. In our last issue, as part of a series, we reviewed the modernization requirements of eight nations. This month we take an in-depth look at the latest missile technologies on offer in the field of naval combat.

One of the most important upgrades of Royal Australian Navy’s ANZAC (a ship class of frigates) has involved the fitting of the RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM).

Evolved Sea Sparrow

Evolved Seasparrow Missile is an international cooperative upgrade of the RIM-7 Seasparrow Missile. ESSM provides self-defense battlespace and firepower against high-speed, highly maneuverable anti-ship missiles in the naval environment.

ESSM is bringing transformational anti-ship missile defense capabilities to the fleets of the United States, NATO and other allies. The missile was developed by the U.S. Navy and nine of the other 11-member nations of the NATO Seasparrow Consortium. Members of the Consortium include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the United States.

Raytheon Missile Systems, along with a global industrial partnership, has introduced an initiative that expands the missile’s original mission from sea-based to ground-based air defense arena. ESSM used in a ground-based application will build on the proven capabilities of the ship-based application by providing the same air defense capability against the full threat spectrum, including aircraft, high and low velocity air threats, and high divers.

ESSM is the third Raytheon missile to be successfully fired from the NASAMS launcher, joining AMRAAM and AIM-9X. ESSM currently has more than 2,000 proven rounds in service or in production with another 1,500 rounds anticipated. It is likely that ESSM will be supported through 2030 and beyond, based on current customer requirements.

RGM-84L Harpoon Block II

The McDonnell Douglas Harpoon was originally developed for the U.S. Navy but in 1983 was adapted for use on B-52H bombers. The Harpoon, first deployed in 1977, is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system. It has a low-level, sea-skimming cruise trajectory, active radar guidance.

The Harpoon missile is the world’s most successful anti-ship missile and is in service with the armed forces of more than 30 countries. It has been upgraded over the years and is now available as the Harpoon Block II. It also led to the development of the standoff land attack missile (Slam) and subsequently the Slam expanded response (Slam-ER).

The Harpoon is capable of executing both land-strike and anti-ship missions. To strike targets on land and ships in port, the missile uses GPS-aided inertial navigation to hit a designated target aimpoint. The 500-pound blast warhead delivers lethal firepower against a wide variety of land-based targets, including coastal defense sites, surface-to-air missile sites, exposed aircraft, port/industrial facilities and ships in port.

Eurotorp MU90

Last year the Royal Australian Navy performed the first firing of a “war shot” MU90 lightweight torpedo, a torpedo developed by the European Economic Interest Group Eurotorp formed by DCNS, THALES and the Italian company Wass. Launched from the ANZAC-class frigate “HMAS Stuart”, the torpedo detected, classified then engaged with its shaped charge, the submerged target, representative of a small-sized submarine.

The MU90/Impact Advanced Lightweight Torpedo is the leader of the third generation of LWTs. Designed and built with the most advanced technology, the weapon is of fire-and-forget type conceived to cope with any-task any-environment capability requirements and meet the ASW operational needs of the 21st century. The MU90 torpedo has reached performance, efficiency and safety far beyond any competitor.

The torpedo can be deployed by any type of platform such as vessels, fixed and rotary wing aircraft, submarines, missile and continental shelf mine. A specific MU90 Hard-Kill version anti-torpedo-torpedo has also been developed.

Designed and built with outstanding technologies, the weapon features any-task any-environment capability. It is currently in mass production and it is entered into service with the French, Italian, German, Danish and Polish Navies and accepted by the Australian Navy.

Sea Ceptor

New Zealand’s Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with MBDA for the procurement of the Sea Ceptor anti-air guided weapon system. MBDA carried out two successful guided firings by the Sea Ceptor air defence system at the land-based Vidsel range facilities in Sweden. These firings were the first seeker guided firings for the Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM), including using its two-way data link to communicate with the Sea Ceptor system.

The CAMMs both performed as expected, with their active radio frequency seeker acquiring the targets shortly after launch and staying in track until they intercepted their respective targets.

CAMM is to be used by the Royal Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy in the Sea Ceptor system and the British Army with the Future Local Area Air Defence System Land system.

Sea Ceptor is the next-generation, ship-based, all-weather, air defence weapon system. Through the use of new advanced technologies, Sea Ceptor provides complete protection against all known and projected air targets.

The weapon system is now in full-scale development for the UK MOD as the principal air defence capability for the Royal Navy’s Type 23 and Type 26 frigates. Sea Ceptor will protect both the host ship and high value units in the local area. The Weapon System has the capability to intercept and thereby neutralise the full range of current and future threats including combat aircraft and the new generation of supersonic anti-ship missiles.

Capable of multiple channels of fire, the system will also counter saturation attacks. Sea Ceptor will enter service in 2016.

Raytheon SM-3

Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) is a defensive weapon used by the U.S. Navy to destroy short to intermediate-range ballistic missile threats. This ‘hit-to-kill’ missile interceptor uses an exoatmospheric “kill vehicle,” to collide with targets in space, a capability that’s been likened to hitting a bullet with a bullet. The massive collision of the kill vehicle hitting its target obliterates the threat completely. Explosives are not necessary. The resulting impact is the equivalent of a 10-ton truck traveling at 600 mph. Whether on land or at sea, the SM-3 continues to excel in testing.

The new SM-3 Block IIA is being developed in cooperation with Japan and will be deployable on land as well as at sea. It has two distinct new features: larger rocket motors that will allow it to defend broader areas from ballistic missile threats and a larger kinetic warhead.

SM-3 Block IIA is the centerpiece of the European missile defense system, and Raytheon Company is beginning flight testing in 2015 to keep the program on track for 2018 deployment at sea and on land in Poland.

RBS15 Mk3

The RBS15 Mk3 is the latest generation surface-to-surface missile system and perfect as the main anti-surface armament. It can be launched from naval vessels, in scenarios from blue water to the littorals, as well as in land attack missions. The RBS15 Mk3 is contracted by leading navies in international competition and in production and under delivery to Sweden, Germany and Poland.

The missile is jointly produced and marketed by Saab, Sweden and Diehl BGT Defence, Germany. It is a fire-and-forget, subsonic cruise type missile with all weather capability. It can be launched from ships, trucks and aircraft and is intended for anti-ship missions and land strikes. RBS15 Mk3 is the latest version of the reliable RBS15 anti-ship missile family.

Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon

The Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) is intended to meet the requirement for the Royal Navy to maintain its anti-surface warfare (ASuW) attack capability well into the middle part of the next century.

FASGW will provide the most cost-effective ASuW delivery system to meet the perceived threat of missile firing Fast Attack Craft (FAC) and to help establish sea control/sea denial within the area of operations, including the littoral, and on relatively undefended coastal targets. Britain’s MoD has a requirement for two types of missile, a light version FASGW(L) and a heavy version FASGW(H).

FASGW(L): This requirement is to be met with a Thales Lightweight Multi-Role Missile System (LMM), a derivative of the Starstreak missile. LMM will be used to attack smaller surface targets at sea and unprotected targets on land.

In 2011 Thales received a production contract for 1,000 LMM that provided for final testing and qualification and integration of the LMM on helicopter platforms. The LMM includes beam riding or semi-active laser guidance where the missile homes in on reflected energy with differing warhead options.

FASGW(H): MBDA is leading the Assessment Phase for the FASGW(H) requirement and it is likely that the design will include a system that incorporates a new 100 kg modular, infrared-guided weapon system derived from the Sea Skua.

There is a chance that FASGW(H) could be part of a cooperative development signed by the governments of France and the UK, both governments having a similar requirement. The French are believed to requirement for an FASGW(H) type system for their Panther and NH90 helicopters.

The UK MoD has spent about £1.7 million (end of 2012) on the FASGW(H) assessment and the in-service date has yet to be finalised. The estimate is that an in-service date of 2016-2017 would not be unrealistic.

Reference Text/Photo:

www.wikipedia.com

www.raytheon.com

www.finmeccanica.com

www.mbda-systems.com

www.navy.mil

www.saab group.com

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