MBDA working on Sea Wolf replacement based on ASRAAM

[PMN1]

European missile manufacturer MBDA is starting to flesh out its plans for a common family of anti-air weapons, being supported by research funding from the UK Defense Ministry.

The family, known as the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM), is aimed at meeting tri-service requirements from around 2018. In the land environment CAMM is intended to provide a successor to the Rapier point-defense missile system, while in the naval context it will provide a follow-on to the Sea Wolf missile.

For air platforms CAMM would effectively provide an upgrade for the Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile. The presently envisaged CAMM configuration uses an ASRAAM airframe.

The British Defense Ministry is funding study and technology demonstrator work in support of the CAMM concept.

[Mercurius Cantabrigiensis]

The definitive Common Anti-Air Modular Missile may not be ASRAAM based. According to Jane’s Missiles & Rockets, between 2002 and 2005, a series of demonstration firings was conducted using ASRAAM-based hardware to prove the planned soft-launch scheme. The missile retained the existing ASRAAM  mounting points, and was fitted into a container-launcher of square cross-section.

The demonstrator rounds were about 3 m long, and retained the 166 mm diameter of the ASRAAM. Total weight was about 100 kg, slightly more than the 87 kg of the ASRAAM. The container-launcher was about 3.25 m long and weighed about 45 kg.

At the DSEI exhibition in London during September, MBDA showed a control section incorporating a series of four twin-nozzle thrusters mounted just aft of the fins fired to steer the round through a post-launch turnover manoeuvre.

Carry trials of a fully-active RF seeker are due to begin in 2008, the magazine reported. 

Mercurius Cantabrigiensis

[zen]

I predicted the development of this years ago, only strengthened when I saw the MBDA trial MICA-VLS. It seemed so damned obvious and clearly I was not alone on that one, cue smug mode!

Interesting to hear its a different missile body, if the same diameter.

RF seeker would seem likely to be of an existing type, perhaps the same as used in MICA and Meteor?

[bristolfighter]

CAMM mssile news:

http://www.defense-update.com/products/c/camm.html

and test video:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/7oRmGFVLJ08&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/7oRmGFVLJ08&rel=1</a>

It's more ASRAAM than it sounded (see attached pic, via www.defense-update.com), and reminds me of some SRAAM-75/Taildog variants as described in the Buttler/Gibson BSP with 'bonker' jet controls.

[TinWing]

Here is a link to the May 2009 "Warship Technology" article which seems to be the definitive source to date:

http://content.yudu.com/A17o11/WTMay09/resources/31.htm

The graphics seem to indicate folding fins, allowing "quad packing" in a standard MK 41 or Sylver VLS cell, although the very first graphic seems to depict the retrofitting of Type 23 with 10(?) widely spaced quad packed cells.  It's unclear if the intended VLS system is some sort of bespoke arrangement based on the current Seawolf VL?

The graphic shows a more standard 4 cell arrangement aboard the BMT Venator concept, as shown in the below Youtube Video:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/_m81ede8b9g&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/_m81ede8b9g&rel=1</a>

[RP1]

Link to a paper on the Soft Vertical Launch system proposed for CAMM:

http://ftp.rta.nato.int/public//PubFulltext/RTO/MP/RTO-MP-063///MP-063-03.pdf

RP1

[PMN1]

Link to a paper on the Soft Vertical Launch system proposed for CAMM:

You forgot the TM after Soft Vertical Launch (TM)......