Thales Lightweight Multirole Missile

Interesting, I'd managed to avoid noticing Rapid Sentry until now. Good to see the RAF Regiment back in the GBAD game, even if I'd prefer them to also be fielding something CAMM-based. Starstreak will presumably fit on Rapid Sentry as readily as LMM, but I wonder which of the pair is better versus the lower-end UAS threats.
 
The first video of the Rapid Sentry system...it appears to be having some success in Iraq (probably Erbil) (Stormer is also deployed in Saudi at present). It's shown with LMM but will also fire Starstreak. Radar is not seen (off to the side apparently) this could be Giraffe 1X...or some other mystery sensor...

Rapid Sentry is effectively a ground mounted development of the Rapid Ranger system that was seen on Pinzgauer back in the day as a private development of Shorts/Thales, and then sold on Vamtac to some nations (including the Middle East)

There was some speculation that Vamtac equipped vehicles would enter UK service as a stop gap to cover withdrawal of Stormer...but that seems to have gone quiet....suspect they'll just go to a CAVS based solution, hopefully with MooG RiWP, 4 rounds of LM/Starstreak and 30mm cannon...

https://twitter.com/x/status/2034581736693067931
View: https://x.com/Gabriel64869839/status/2034581736693067931
 
Could be time to look at additional developments that fit in.
 
So is this to replace Rapier mk2 or to provide a lower tier?
 
zen said:
Could be time to look at additional developments that fit in.
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To be honest looking at the old modular diagram of it I'm not sure there is much point. The lo cost seeker exists but no-one is asking Thales for it. The single pulse rocket motor would only be usable on vehicles and just injects stockpile issues into a system.
 
Kiltonge said:
Tare weight 1800kg; seems exceedingly awkward. It's going to need a flatbed and a crane to move and position it, so why not just put it on a vehicle in the first place?
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It's a reasonable question for which I've not seen answer so far. But...if its a semi permanent installation at a facility, and can be hooked up to local power supplies it does make some sense.
 
Scott Kenny said:
Or at least leave it on a trailer.
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Or hooklift flatrack at least...like the Land Ceptor iLauncher.

I agree its a little weird....smacks of a capability designed and developed very fast to meet a UOR for the user. Rapier was famously a trailer, and was a sensible airportable system as a result. But other trailer mounted solutions haven't worked as well (Spike NLOS on SPARC trailer as Exactor being very delicate) the better suspension on a vehicle mount appears to be better for reliability/durability in the main, but with the risk that if the vehicle goes U/S your expensive SAM system has as well by default....thats why I'm a fan of the platform agnostic hooklift flatracks...

The only benefit for Thales is if its marinised its a sensible solution to drop on a ship as an almost standalone (like SIMBAD RC for Mistral)...but that wouldn't prevent it being bolted on a trailer or flatrack....and AFAIK they're not actively marketing it for that role...and there are plenty of other marinised mounts for LMM/Starstreak like Aselsan's or MSI's Seahawk Sigma that people would surely go for ahead of it...
 
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Kiltonge said:
Tare weight 1800kg; seems exceedingly awkward. It's going to need a flatbed and a crane to move and position it, so why not just put it on a vehicle in the first place?
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That camo net around the base is not just for aesthetic reasons...think its covering up some sort of heath robinson leveling solution....
 
Are those slots for a forklift just visible at the bottom of the "front" face? That would make it easier to move than requiring a crane
 
Cthell said:
Are those slots for a forklift just visible at the bottom of the "front" face? That would make it easier to move than requiring a crane
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Could be, but they're very, very narrow. usually fork lift slots are a little wider (and more robust) to give the operator a chance at getting the forks in without too much manoeuvering or damage. Can't see any lifting shackles so fork lift is likely, but I think any points for them would be lower down and obscured by the camo netting.
 
So where does LMM go from here? Are we going to accept that we've made a handy and cheap weapon, let the RAF Reg and the Wildcats keep at it and stick it on the Stormer replacement (IMO should be Patria 6x6 with the Moog RwIP) or do we try and expand out? Thales said they could put a SAL seeker on it so perhaps an alternative to APKWS for the Typhoons if a suitable means of carrying the launch tubes can be found, and if the back blast issues aren't as bad as on T23 maybe an upgrade to the River 2s?
 
TorpedoJ said:
Thales said they could put a SAL seeker on it so perhaps an alternative to APKWS for the Typhoons if a suitable means of carrying the launch tubes can be found,
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I just don't see the fast jet carriage option. How would the existing frangible launch tubes hold up to the higher loads from higher speeds. And they're massive and draggy compared to the 70mm rocket pods.

It's still not "cheap". Would really need to produce 10x to get a bit closer to APKWS costs, but this costs a lot.
 
zen said:
Sevenfold increase by 2030.....

Everything is pointing to a Year of Maximum Danger here.
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I'm always careful with those claims.....

Is it sevenfold of the production rate in 2025 following a fourfold increase from 2022 (i.e. an increase of 28x)....or is it sevenfold in 2029 from 2022....

Plus....what was the baseline in 2022? It's likely that the initial UK order of 1,000 missiles had been completed by then....after that orders were comparatively small for export....so it could be not as impressive as it sounds....if its sevenfold on the production rate hit when they were building the 1,000 initial order then its likely to be 1,500+ rounds per year....(and perhaps way beyond 2,000).
 

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