MBDA Future Cruise / Anti-Ship Weapon (FC / ASW)

[Scott Kenny]

although the flight profile for that 800km range would be interesting to know.

Supersonic to high supersonic flight for the entire distance suggests mostly a high flight path, not sea-skimming.

The only low altitude supersonic AShCM I'm aware of is the Kalibr variant with the rocket terminal stage, M2.5-M2.9 for ~50km. You'd have immense drag and airframe heating if sea-skimming, and IIRC roughly Mach 1.2 is the aluminum heat soak speed limit so the airframe would have to go to titanium or thermal composites.

 

[zjz]

Now, Exocet was interesting because the fuzing was not impact, it was pseudo-proximity. The radar seeker would give a time-to-go estimate just before impact, and the fuze would set that plus a few milliseconds as the actuation time. Other designs use actual impact-plus-delay fuzing or void-counting fuzes to get a detonation properly inside the hull.

This is interesting information .... wouldn't this be susceptible to the accuracy of the radar wave form used?

 

[timmymagic]

That almost certainly means that Stratus LO will have a range above 1000km reading between the lines, although the flight profile for that 800km range would be interesting to know.

To be honest I'd be disappointed if it didn't hit 1200km+ if its got a turbofan onboard.

 

[Forest Green]

Supersonic to high supersonic flight for the entire distance suggests mostly a high flight path, not sea-skimming.

The only low altitude supersonic AShCM I'm aware of is the Kalibr variant with the rocket terminal stage, M2.5-M2.9 for ~50km. You'd have immense drag and airframe heating if sea-skimming, and IIRC roughly Mach 1.2 is the aluminum heat soak speed limit so the airframe would have to go to titanium or thermal composites.

ASMP-A does M2+ at sea level.

 

[Scott Kenny]

ASMP-A does M2+ at sea level.

For the whole flight?

 

[Forest Green]

For the whole flight?

I think it can be but it depends on the profile selected. It's M3+ at altitude.

 

[NMaude]

For the whole flight?

Yes, as it is ramjet powered and its' ramjet won't function at subsonic speeds.

 

[Titus K]

€3.8 billion in commitment authorisations for the Stratus RS programme in 2027, of which €1.7 billion will be committed that year.
€927 million in payments are scheduled over the 2027–2029 period.

 

[Forest Green]

Is that just Stratus RS or LO too?

 

[Titus K]

Is that just Stratus RS or LO too?

It's only Stratus RS

 

[Ainen]

The only low altitude supersonic AShCM I'm aware of is the Kalibr variant with the rocket terminal stage, M2.5-M2.9 for ~50km. You'd have immense drag and airframe heating if sea-skimming, and IIRC roughly Mach 1.2 is the aluminum heat soak speed limit so the airframe would have to go to titanium or thermal composites.

All supersonic sea skimmers are still /high/ supersonic at low level; that's their point. Low supersonic missiles are frankly worse at getting past defenses than LO high subsonic sea skimmers.

And yes, they use special electronics, titanium and heat-resistant fairings because of that.

 

[Titus K]

Some information from a French journalist who visited MBDA today:

• The British are keeping some skin in the game on STRATUS-RS, just as France is keeping some skin in the game on STRATUS-LO.
  So MBDA France and MBDA UK are involved in both programmes.
  
  
• Italy is only involved in STRATUS-LO: at one point, there had been talk of Italy (Leonardo) supplying part of the STRATUS-RS seeker, but that is now completely off the table, and it is therefore very likely that Thales France will be responsible for it.

STRATUS-RS:

• Same missile, same seeker and same warhead for all four missions.
• Primary missions: anti-ship and SEAD.
• Secondary missions: deep strike and anti-HVAA.
• For the anti-HVAA role, there will still be some software work required for target designation, so it seems likely that this capability will not be implemented from the outset.
• The STRATUS-RS seeker will be an active AESA seeker, with SAR functionality. It is this SAR capability (combined with advanced INS/GNSS navigation and, I believe, a secondary IIR imaging sensor, although I am not entirely sure about the latter) that will allow it to perform SEAD/DEAD through target recognition, without having to rely on a passive sensor detecting radar emissions.
• STRATUS-RS will have a range "well over 3 times that of Exocet". (that matches the 800km range claim on the chart i posted)

STRATUS-LO

• Same missile, same warhead and same seeker for both missions
• Primary mission : deep-strike
• Secondary missions : anti-ship
• STRATUS-LO's propulsion will use a new turbofan (i believe that's what he meant), allowing the missile's range to be increased considerably.
• No figures were given, but the range of STRATUS-LO is said to be "more than doubled compared with Storm Shadow"