Skimmers & Targets - A Buyers Market For Anti-Ship Missiles

There was recently a SINKEX (sinking exercise) in which Norway fired one of their locally made Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) at a decommissioned 2,100 ton Oslo class frigate. The NSM, fired from a smaller missile boat, hit the frigate, did a lot of damage but did not sink it. If the frigate had been loaded with fuel and ammo, the NSM would have started fires and probably put the ship out of service and possibly caused it to go down.

 

Despite the many lightweight (under a ton) anti-ship missiles on the market, NSM still gets sales because it is effective, reliable and affordable. It is also offered for use on ships, aircraft and on trucks (as part of a mobile coastal defense system). The 409 kg (900 pound) NSM anti-ship missile has a 125 kg (275 pound) warhead and a range of 185 kilometers. NSM uses GPS and inertial guidance systems, as well as a heat imaging system (and a database of likely targets) for picking out and hitting the intended ship. Norwegian manufacturer Kongsberg allows buyers to easily install their own radar and control systems.

 

There is lots of competition, the main ones being the U.S. Harpoon and similar missiles from Russia and China. The Russian Kh-35 anti-ship missile is similar to the American Harpoon but lighter (610 kg/1,340 pounds, compared to 728 kg/1,600) and has less range (130 kilometers compared to 224 for the latest version of Harpoon). The Kh-35 (also known as the SS-N-25 or Switchblade) can be fired from helicopters, aircraft, ships, or shore batteries. 

 

China sells a lot of C-801 and C-802 anti-ship missiles. The C-801 is 5.81 meters (18 feet) long, 360mm in diameter, has a max range of 42 kilometers and weighs 636 kg (1,400 pounds) each. The C-801 is similar to the French Exocet, and is believed to have been based on that missile.

 

The C802A is a 6.8m (21 foot) long, 360mm diameter, 682kg (1,500 pound) missile, with a 165kg (360 pound) warhead. The C802 has a max range of 120 kilometers, and moves along at about 250 meters a second. The French Exocet missile is the same size and performance, but costs twice as much (over a million dollars each, but the manufacturer is known to be flexible on pricing.)

 

The new Exocet MM Block 3 has twice the range (180 kilometers) because of their turbojet engine. This is a 670 kg (1,500 pound) missile that has been around for over three decades, has been proven in combat and is known to be reliable. The C802 is known to be less capable than the Exocet, but it looks similar.

 

Russia pioneered the use of larger (up to three ton) supersonic “carrier killer” anti-ship missiles. The most common example is the Yakhont which is an 8.9 meter (27.6 foot) long, three ton missile with a 300 kg (660 pound) warhead. Russia has been building missiles like this since the 1970s but they are only popular with the few nations that have a need to destroy American aircraft carriers.

French Navy Rafale M test fires a live AM39 Block2 Mod2 Exocet Anti-ship missile for the first time

On September 19, 2012, a French Navy (Marine Nationale) Rafale M was launched from the nuclear powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) and fired an Exocet anti-ship missile according to the French aerospace magazine Air & Cosmos.

The AM39 Block2 Mod2 Exocet missile, which was live round, destroyed its target at sea. The test, which was a first for the French Navy (previous tests were conducted either by Dassault or by an evaluation unit), validates the anti-ship missile for future operational use.

                         

On September 19, 2012, a French Navy (Marine Nationale) Rafale M was launched from the nuclear powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulles (R91) and fired an Exocet anti-ship missile according to the French aerospace magazine Air & Cosmos. A Rafale M with an AM39 Exocet is launched from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle

(Archive picture: French Navy)

                         

The Exocet AM39 Anti-ship missile is in service with the French armed forces and the navies of 11 other countries. In January 2004, the French DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement) awarded MBDA with the contract covering the development of both the Exocet AM39 Block2 Mod2 and the Exocet MM40 Block3.

In June 2007, the latest Mod2 development of the Exocet AM39 Block2 completed its final validation firing from a naval Rafale F3 combat aircraft. The firing also served as the validation firing for the Rafale in its F3 standard. The Mod2 evolution has seen the digitisation of Exocet AM39 Block2, an adaptation called for by the requirements of the latest generation of rotary and fixed wing aircraft such as the Rafale F3.

                         

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The Exocet has an OTH (Over The Horizon) firing capacity and a range of other operational benefits including :

• low signature

• late seeker activation

• sea-skimming at very low altitude

• enhanced target discrimination and ECCM

• high penetrative power against modern naval air defences.

The Exocet AM39 can be launched from a range of platforms: fighter aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft and medium or heavy helicopters at stand-off ranges.

Swedish Navy's HMS Visby test fires first guided missile

Bofors RBS 15 anti-ship missile lifts from HMS Visby

The Swedish Navy's first Visby-class corvette HMS Visby has successfully test fired a RBS15 anti-ship missile, marking a major milestone in the development of the ship, off dry-dock at Karlskrona, Sweden.

Swedish Defence Procurement Agency (FMV) Visby corvettes project manager Anders Nilsson said: "This was perhaps the most important last milestone before the first Visby-class corvette enters full operational service."

Third Naval Warfare Flotilla Visby's trials crew head Frank Johnson added: "Both the crew of the HMS Visby and staff have worked extremely hard in recent times to get everything to work and it is particularly gratifying that all went according to plan."

The FMV is scheduled to deliver the final version of the first two Visby corvettes, equipped with an entire range of heavy weapons, to the Swedish Armed Forces in the later part of 2012.

The 72m-long Visby-class ships has been designed for mine countermeasures and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and feature a suite of ASW equipment, 127mm rocket-powered grenade launchers, depth charges and torpedoes.

"Both the crew of the HMS Visby and staff have worked extremely hard in recent times to get everything to work and it is particularly gratifying that all went according to plan."

The Swedish FMV had originally received the lead ship of the class, Visby (K31) in June 2002, while the second and third HMS Helsingborg (K32) and Harnosand (K33) were officially delivered in June 2006.

The fourth Nykoping (K34) vessel was delivered to the Swedish FMV in September 2006 and the fifth Karlstad (K35) ship was launched in August 2006.

The Swedish Navy will receive all five modernised ships by 2014, while the last vessel will be used to support attack and anti-surface warfare operations.

FMV, Kockums and the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden have collaborated to provide materials and construction techniques for the frigates.