StandOff & PGM Weapons

MBDA will be showing off some new products at DSEI UK

Akeron MBT 120; a low velocity NLOS missile loaded and launched from an MBT's cannon intended for short range non line of sight armour encounters as being currently experienced in Ukraine where MBT's lob high explosive shells at each other on ballistic arcs over hills at a range of around 1500m. Fire and forget with a passive EO/IR seeker to overcome jammer/interceptors keyed to laser warning sensors. The missile can talk to the ammunition programming datalinks in Leopard 2 and Challenger 3.

Crossbow; an affordable deep strike cruise missile with a weight of 750kg, length of 5.3m, wingspan of 3m and high-subsonic speed. It will have a modular 300kg payload and a range of more than 800km. It will be contained either singly or in pairs and launched from a 20m shipping container. It will have image following, inertial and satellite guidance and is intended to be low cost but customers could order a higher spec. Demonstration is planned for the 4th quarter of this year and volume production could start in Q2 2025, its in talks with several potential customers. It uses off the shelf high volume components from multiple suppliers in several countries so as to allow high volume sovereign production without supply bottlenecks.

SPEAR Glide; replacing the engine and fuel of the SPEAR missile with a larger kinetic penetrator warhead. Will have a glide range of 80-100km and It will use the same passive EO/IR seeker as the Crossbow. It is intended to be a low cost saturation missile for several days into a conflict after enemy air defences have been degraded by regular SPEAR missiles. It will also utilise off the shelf components.

ASRAAM; new low cost ground launcher for point air defence against drones and missiles using ASRAAM missiles.

FC/ASW; Will be showing off a model with the actual design of the stealth version rather than previous concept images.

www.defensenews.com

MBDA to show tank gun-launched missile, cheap cruise missile at DSEI

The weapon was developed with feedback from the war in Ukraine, where soldiers improvise non-line-of-sight attacks by blind firing high-explosive shells.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com
 
Crossbow appears to comply with the Project Brakestop RFI the UK government put out last year for a ground launched cruise missile with a range of at least 600km and a payload of 300kg with a speed of 600kmh with two to be carried by a vehicle and a unit cost of under £400k excluding payload.

*updated
 
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WatcherZero said:
MBDA will be showing off some new products at DSEI UK

Akeron MBT 120; a low velocity NLOS missile loaded and launched from an MBT's cannon intended for short range non line of sight armour encounters as being currently experienced in Ukraine where MBT's lob high explosive shells at each other on ballistic arcs over hills at a range of around 1500m. Fire and forget with a passive EO/IR seeker to overcome jammer/interceptors keyed to laser warning sensors. The missile can talk to the ammunition programming datalinks in Leopard 2 and Challenger 3.
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Hrm. Sounds like K-STAM. Now they just need to make a fast, long-range NLOS like STAFF or MRM.

You need both a long-ranged, fast NLOS round (basically a GL-ATGM); and a slow, high-arc, basically a mortar round. Fast NLOS is for wide open areas like the steppes. Slow NLOS is for built-up areas and mountains.
 
WatcherZero said:
Crossbow appears to comply with the Project Nightfall RFI the UK government put out a month ago for a ground launched cruise missile with a range of at least 600km and a payload of 300kg with two to be carried by a vehicle and a unit cost of under £500k excluding payload.
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Nope. Nightfall is specifically an SRBM since it must get to the target in <10 minutes.
www.twz.com

Tactical Ballistic Missile Sought By United Kingdom

The United Kingdom wants to field a short-range ballistic missile that is low-cost and can be rapidly produced on demand. The United Kingdom wants to field a short-range ballistic missile that is low-cost and can be rapidly produced on demand.
www.twz.com www.twz.com
1757404573900.png
 
Forest Green said:
Nope. Nightfall is specifically an SRBM since it must get to the target in <10 minutes.
www.twz.com

Tactical Ballistic Missile Sought By United Kingdom

The United Kingdom wants to field a short-range ballistic missile that is low-cost and can be rapidly produced on demand. The United Kingdom wants to field a short-range ballistic missile that is low-cost and can be rapidly produced on demand.
www.twz.com www.twz.com
View attachment 784068
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Brakestop I should have said, RFI last year, same performance requirement except target speed 600kmh and unit cost £400k. They were looking for a test during Q2 2025 and production commencing Q4 2025 but the project had been delayed due to lack of a suitable engine to power the platform.
 
I may be reading too much into the image, but it almost looks like a swing-wing (OW) missile to me. Are they intending a supersonic penetration capability, I wonder? Though the article does say 'high subsonic speeds'.
 
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Invest in national small jet engine manufacturers seems to be a very sensible thing to do right now....

If only Noel Penny Turbines hadn't gone under in 1990...they'd probably be having the time of their lives now...
 
You are not kidding - I was almost fooled into thinking that is an oblique wing.
Grey Havoc said:
I may be reading too much into the image, but it almost looks like a swing-wing (OW) missile to me. Are they intending a supersonic penetration capability, I wonder? Though the article does say 'high subsonic speeds'.
Click to expand...
 
Grey Havoc said:
I may be reading too much into the image, but it almost looks like a swing-wing (OW) missile to me. Are they intending a supersonic penetration capability, I wonder? Though the article does say 'high subsonic speeds'.
Click to expand...

Stowed for transit probably, need to fit two in the shipping container and the wings on the erected one look almost as wide as the shipping container itself.
 

Lockheed Martin Joins Forces With BAE Systems On New Ultra-Adaptable Drone​

www.twz.com

Lockheed Martin Joins Forces With BAE Systems On New Ultra-Adaptable Drone

The uncrewed air system is the latest in a growing field of 'affordable' and fast to produce systems that blur the lines between drone and cruise missile. The stealthy uncrewed air system is the latest entry in a growing field of affordable and expendable drones and munitions.
www.twz.com www.twz.com
 
NMaude said:
Any prominent examples of their products being used?
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Probably most well known was the Chichester Miles Leopard prototype back in the day (the full production version was to have 2 small turbofans instead, one of the reasons for its failure was the turbofan manufacturer doing an exclusive deal with another airframer).
 
Ukrainian intelligence has published its information about the Russian D-30SN guided bomb.

After quite a long time since the UMPB began to be used, Ukrainians have added information about the new Russian guided bomb to their website so that they could identify which countries "help" the Russian army and against whom sanctions should be imposed.

So, the UMPB D-30SN is used by the frontline Su-34 bombers and S-70 "Okhotnik" drones. Unlike the UMPK, this is an independent munition, not a modification of a FAB, which gives it better aerodynamic characteristics and consequently greater range. Among foreign components, the Ukrainians found only electronics from countries such as Japan, China, Taiwan, and the USA, which is not new. The rest is domestic.
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Source: https://t.me/CyberspecNews/91570?single

D-30 1.jpg D-30 2.jpg D-30 3.jpg D-30 4.jpg D-30 5.jpg D-30 6.jpg
 
Aerial detonation of a thermobaric ODAB with the UMPK gliding and guidance protrusion. The type and weight of the ODAB remains unknown, however.

t.me

Fighterbomber

✅ УМПК которые попадают ✅ Воздушный подрыв ОДАБ с УМПК. ⁉️ УМПК которое умеет уничтожать заглубленные цели
t.me t.me
 
Taiwan is apparently very interested in license building this version with completely local resources.

Any idea which booster is being used? I suspect it would have to be something off the shelf.
 

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