SPEAR - Selectable Precision Effects At Range

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SteveO

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MBDA mini cruise missile, 100km range, F-35B loadout 8x internally. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/pictures-mbda-sharpens-spear-missile-design-for-f-35-integration-373453/
 
Front end looks similar to Brimstone as well...

Folding wings on top of the body makes sense given the small diameter and need to maximise the warhead size and fuel load.
 
The similarity with SDB II has been commented on else where. I'm thinking that the turbojet powered SPEAR will have an advantage over the un powered SDB II glide bomb when delivered from slow flying UAVs or AC-130 type platforms or low altitude.
 
Hopefully the unpowered SPEAR Glide will be purchased as well and provided a significantly lower cost weapon with a bigger warhead for static targets. SDB II capability but developed in reverse!

Fingers crossed the UK will make the most of this promising missile family ;)
 
SteveO said:
Hopefully the unpowered SPEAR Glide will be purchased as well and provided a significantly lower cost weapon with a bigger warhead for static targets. SDB II capability but developed in reverse!

Fingers crossed the UK will make the most of this promising missile family ;)
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I hope so too SteveO, I have always liked the SPEAR family of missiles.
 
Another SPEAR article here - https://www.navylookout.com/putting-the-strike-in-uk-carrier-strike-the-spear-3-stand-off-weapon/
(Navy Lookout is the new name for the Save the Royal Navy website)
It would be challenging for any naval vessel to deal with 8 or 16 small missiles arriving simultaneously (the payload of one or two F-35s). A mixture of SPEARS, some set up with fragmentation warheads to damage aerials and upper deck equipment combined with others set with a tandem charge to penetrate into the vessel would likely cripple most combatants. The warhead is small but scoring multiple of hits could be enough to damage critical sensors and electronic systems and disable the ship as a fighting unit, even if not sunk.
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950YGWI.jpg


Saab and MBDA have disclosed that they are working together on the development of a miniaturised powered decoy that will form part of Saab's Arexis airborne electronic warfare (EW) product portfolio.
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Saab reveals MBDA link as Arexis air-launched decoy breaks cover

Saab and MBDA have disclosed that they are working together on the development of a miniaturised powered decoy that will form part of Saab's Arexis airborne electronic...
www.janes.com
 
Maybe SPEAR-Glide will get a small BROACH warhead to take out hardened targets. The lack of fuel tank and engine probably makes room for the shaped charge in front of the main charge.
 
New article in Breaking Defense...

breakingdefense.com

UK researches new, affordable precision munition, with Ukraine in mind - Breaking Defense

The review of options for the UK's new Medium Range Utility Strike Weapon is expected to come out towards the end of 2023.
breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com

Medium Range Utility Strike Weapon...

This smells like a UK SDB1 equivalent...8 cheaper weapons carried internally in an F-35B with fixed target capability and hard target penetration.

Which has got a Spear variant written all over it...I've been banging on about this for an age...a SpearSimple would fit the bill...same as SpearGlide but without the MMW seeker. Instead GPS/INS only, potentially with a datalink or SAL if its a really cheap addition.

Job done. Easy integration and a fairly compelling family of munitions for the export market..
 
The curious thing is a lack of a longer version, maybe cutting internal storage to 2 per bay on JSF, but delivering either much greater range/endurance or a much larger warhead......
 
timmymagic said:
New article in Breaking Defense...

breakingdefense.com

UK researches new, affordable precision munition, with Ukraine in mind - Breaking Defense

The review of options for the UK's new Medium Range Utility Strike Weapon is expected to come out towards the end of 2023.
breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com

Medium Range Utility Strike Weapon...

This smells like a UK SDB1 equivalent...8 cheaper weapons carried internally in an F-35B with fixed target capability and hard target penetration.

Which has got a Spear variant written all over it...I've been banging on about this for an age...a SpearSimple would fit the bill...same as SpearGlide but without the MMW seeker. Instead GPS/INS only, potentially with a datalink or SAL if its a really cheap addition.

Job done. Easy integration and a fairly compelling family of munitions for the export market..
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I think Ukraine is making people think about what really matters, loitering/self detection and selection of target etc is very expensive per bang. Detection from commercial or mil drones seems to work ok, so really we need a lot of things that will fly to a specific location and go bang.

I'm not saying we don't need both, but the expensive ones are going to be niche, the bulk need to be the cheaper and possibly easier to carry in numbers.
 
Fluff said:
timmymagic said:
New article in Breaking Defense...

breakingdefense.com

UK researches new, affordable precision munition, with Ukraine in mind - Breaking Defense

The review of options for the UK's new Medium Range Utility Strike Weapon is expected to come out towards the end of 2023.
breakingdefense.com breakingdefense.com

Medium Range Utility Strike Weapon...

This smells like a UK SDB1 equivalent...8 cheaper weapons carried internally in an F-35B with fixed target capability and hard target penetration.

Which has got a Spear variant written all over it...I've been banging on about this for an age...a SpearSimple would fit the bill...same as SpearGlide but without the MMW seeker. Instead GPS/INS only, potentially with a datalink or SAL if its a really cheap addition.

Job done. Easy integration and a fairly compelling family of munitions for the export market..
Click to expand...
I think Ukraine is making people think about what really matters, loitering/self detection and selection of target etc is very expensive per bang. Detection from commercial or mil drones seems to work ok, so really we need a lot of things that will fly to a specific location and go bang.

I'm not saying we don't need both, but the expensive ones are going to be niche, the bulk need to be the cheaper and possibly easier to carry in numbers.
Click to expand...

Thats the beauty of a Spear derivative. Minimal integration costs to existing platforms (because you've already integrated the shape and most complex version), shared components and a version for each scenario. Add in a recon version for BDA and you'd have a winning family of weapons. Hell you could stick an electric motor with prop on the back and have it as an air launched long loiter munition as well.
 
zen said:
The curious thing is a lack of a longer version, maybe cutting internal storage to 2 per bay on JSF, but delivering either much greater range/endurance or a much larger warhead......
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RAF has/will shortly have exquisite, but limited Air to Ground munitions: Brimstone, Spear, Paveway IV and Storm Shadow. All highly precise...all highly expensive. We desperately need some SDB1, APKWS or JDAM equivalents in terms of cost.

You could go down the route of buying MBDA SmartGlider Heavy but you're going to spend a fortune on integration costs alone and to be honest it just looks like a warmed over HOPE/HOSBO with no modularity. I think the more sensible route would be to stick a wing kit on Paveway IV, or just buy JDAM-ER or Powered JDAM in 1,000lb form (although for the latter I'm not sure it would fit internally in the B variant). JSOW is another good weapon...but its not cheap. The modularity is great though.

I've long been a fan of just buying 1,000lb JDAM for Typhoon and F-35. Someone else has paid the integration costs already and its cheap as chips...but its not a UK made weapon. But I just don't think we can get as cheap without the US' immense production volumes.

Another option is to exploit the Spear 'shape' across a number of versions, which we're doing. But then create a larger 'shape' like JSOW that can also be exploited in a similar manner with multiple versions/payloads available. Saves a lot of time and money on integration efforts and enables re-use of components from within the Complex Weapons portfolio. Obviously Spear is the best example, but look at the JDAM family. 500, 1000, 2000lb bombs, Wing Kits for the ER variant, powered variants with wing kit, QuickStrike sea mines, QuickSink anti-shipping guidance and fuzing, Laser JDAM guidance...a whole host of capabilities from one simple initial design, that re-uses existing components either entirely or en masse.

Although we like to talk about 'Spiral Development' and modularity, and we are getting there with Asraam/CAMM, Starstreak/Martlet, Brimstone and the Spear family....the real masters in the past have been the US. But even the US has got there more by accident than design though (they've never really fully exploited the JSOW modularity and shape for example) with plenty of very sensible systems not making it to large scale adoption over the years (Sidewinder Sidearm, Sidewinder Focus etc.) and some that have made it essentially being lash ups, or gap fillers that end up serving for years longer than they should (Chapparal).
 
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This is why I think a SPEAR Long and LPS ought the clear missile shapes and actually contain variations ranging from cheap to highly precise.
 
FighterJock said:
EWThat is great news about SPEAR-EW timmimagic, though has there been any development on the SPEAR-3 missile variant?
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Spear is on the way (not SPEAR 3, thats the MoD requirement that is being filled by Spear). Some delays particularly around personnel and F-35 integration. But it will be in service by 2026, possibly 2025 on Typhoon. SpearGlide has gone quiet but its likely they're throwing resource into Spear and Spear-EW. SpearGlide and the MRUSW should come after and be fairly straightforward developments.
 
Wonder if this is linked to the same day announcement by SAAB that Gripen E was receiving a contract variation for revision of its electronic warfare, recon and communication equipment.
 
Looks like the Spanish Air Force is getting Spear as well as Brimstone....

https://twitter.com/x/status/1778354399926014153
View: https://twitter.com/Gabriel64869839/status/1778354399926014153


Translation of David Kamizela's text

"One of the Spanish users found an inquiry/announcement regarding the search for entities that would provide future servicing of Brimstone 2 missiles and... SPEAR 3 missiles for the Spanish Air Force."

The detail in question from a RFP...seems very clear that Spain is likely to order Spear soon...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1778078818126680375
View: https://twitter.com/usuario20205/status/1778078818126680375
 
WatcherZero said:
Wonder if this is linked to the same day announcement by SAAB that Gripen E was receiving a contract variation for revision of its electronic warfare, recon and communication equipment.
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Suspect not. But the Saab Arexis stand in jammer proposal alongside Gripen E for the Finland HX competition was essentially a re-badged Spear-EW. The initial proposal featured a Saab EW payload. But....I don't think that was really credible, can't see MBDA screwing over Leonardo with their Britecloud package (which has also been integrated on Gripen in its cartridge form), and there won't be a market for multiple EW missiles. Later on, after HX was won by F-35, it was just Spear-EW shown alongside Gripen.
 
Would be great if Sweden would buy both SPEAR-EW and the standard SPEAR missile for the Grippen the prospect for the Swedish Air Force having both SPEAR weapons would be brilliant.
 
Italy joins the Spear club....

Italian Navy to equip F-35Bs with JSM, SPEAR 3 stand-off weapons

The Italian Navy (Marina Militare Italiana: MMI) is to equip its Lockheed Martin F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) fleet with two stand-off missile types not...
www.janes.com www.janes.com

That should now be UK, Spain, Italy and Germany. Saudi should be there as well, I suspect with Qatar, Oman and Kuwait in due course. Think Sweden will join up for Gripen as well eventually.

The good news as well is that it also finally confirms Italy on the F-35 Meteor path as well....plus they are the first F-35B user to go for JSM, which means it will be integrated on F-35B (suspect the Japanese will have done it eventually regardless...),there was always a little doubt on how far JSM integration beyond fit tests would be done on F-35B unless someone purchased it, this now resolves that question.

The really interesting part is that Italy has already purchased c180 SDBII for F-35...this is the first sale of Spear to an SDBII user....specifically for F-35. To be honest I'd always assumed that if someone went down the SDBII route that a Spear sale (at least of the conventional version, not EW) was effectively not going to happen. Wonder if Ukraine has forced a rethink about the utility of the additional 50-60 miles of range (at least).

I'll cross post the JSM part.
 
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This could shape up to become Europe wide.
Poland is licensing Brimstone and CAMM. So it's a reasonable sell to get them aboard SPEAR as well.

And France still hums and ahhs over whether to opt for Brimstone last I heard.
 
Once Ukraine's F-16s are operational the SPEAR 2 and SPEAR 3 would be very handy for them.
 
NMaude said:
Once Ukraine's F-16s are operational the SPEAR 2 and SPEAR 3 would be very handy for them.
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No doubt, but the aircraft involved wouldn’t have the ability nor would the RAF part with them.
 
timmymagic said:
Italy joins the Spear club....

Italian Navy to equip F-35Bs with JSM, SPEAR 3 stand-off weapons

The Italian Navy (Marina Militare Italiana: MMI) is to equip its Lockheed Martin F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) fleet with two stand-off missile types not...
www.janes.com www.janes.com

That should now be UK, Spain, Italy and Germany. Saudi should be there as well, I suspect with Qatar, Oman and Kuwait in due course. Think Sweden will join up for Gripen as well eventually.

The good news as well is that it also finally confirms Italy on the F-35 Meteor path as well....plus they are the first F-35B user to go for JSM, which means it will be integrated on F-35B (suspect the Japanese will have done it eventually regardless...),there was always a little doubt on how far JSM integration beyond fit tests would be done on F-35B unless someone purchased it, this now resolves that question.

The really interesting part is that Italy has already purchased c180 SDBII for F-35...this is the first sale of Spear to an SDBII user....specifically for F-35. To be honest I'd always assumed that if someone went down the SDBII route that a Spear sale (at least of the conventional version, not EW) was effectively not going to happen. Wonder if Ukraine has forced a rethink about the utility of the additional 50-60 miles of range (at least).

I'll cross post the JSM part.
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it would be great if they also buy SPEAR-EW.
 

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