MISSILE AIR/SOL DE CROISIERE
Les défenses air-sol adverses renforcées exposent de plus en plus
dangereusement l'avion et son équipage. Pour les préserver, le
tir à distance de sécurité est devenu primordial. Cela
sera rendu possible avec l'utilisation du missile Apache.
Sa mission principale est la destruction de cibles diverses et fortement défendues,
avec un tir à longue distance. Le guidage est assuré par une navigation
inertielle avec recalage en vol à partir des données transmises
à l'arme lors de la préparation de la mission. Preuve de sa grande
sophistication, celle-ci, réalisée sur le système de préparation
de missions des avions porteurs, exploite tous les paramètres de relief,
menaces, météo...
D'un envergure d'un peu moins de trois mètres, il est doté de
quatre gouvernes et de deux dérives ventrales déployées
aprés le tir. Sa propulsion est assurée par un turbopropulseur
permettant le vol de croisière en haut subsonique. Aujourd'hui la portée
de l'Apache est de 150 km, en suivi de terrain à trés basse altitude,
pour toutes conditions météorologiques, de jour comme de nuit.
Le vol du missile qui devient autonome dès le largage, s'effectue selon
trois phases :
-la phase initiale durant laquelle le missile doit rejoindre un point d'entrée
à l'issue d'une trajectoire libre,
-la phase de croisière, dans un couloir programmé, durant laquelle
la navigation inertielle est périodiquement recalée,
-la phase terminale pendant laquelle, aprés un dernier recalage de navigation,
le missile procède à l'acquisition finale de l'objectif à
l'aide de son radar, afin de déterminer l'instant optimum de largage
des sous-munitions.
Mais la grande force de l'Apache réside surtout dans sa faible vulnérabilité.
Cela pour plusieurs raisons. Il est muni de techniques de réduction de
signature radar (matériaux et architecture) dans les bandes de fréquences
nominales, diminuant fortement sa Surface Equivalente Radar (SER) par rapport
aux missiles classiques, il connait une faible susceptibilité au brouillage,
il vole à trés basse altitude (quelques dizaines de mètres)
avec l'utilisation du suivi de terrain pour profiter des masques naturels. Une
attaque simultanée de plusieurs missiles permet également de saturer
les défenses ennemies sur l'ojectif. Précis et discret, l'Apache
va se décliner en plusieurs versions qui seront le fer de lance des missiles
air/sol futurs tirés à distance de sécurité :
-Une version destinée aux objectifs d'infrastructures.
-Une version à pourrissement de zone.
-D'éventuelles versions à sous-munitions intelligentes.
APACHE is Europe's first operational conventional warhead air-to-ground missile
which can be launched from outside of the range of all anti-aircraft defences.
It can hit a variety of targets, day or night, and is fired from 140 km away
thus reducing the dangers for the pilot and crew. This stealthy air-to-ground
standoff missile can be launched from the Mirage 2000, or the Rafale, both aircraft
of the French Air Forces to neutralise enemy air bases and ensure the control
of the skies necessary for troop deployment.
The APACHE AP weighs 1,230 kg and is powered by a TRI 60-30 turbojet, and is designed for carrying and ejecting ten KRISS sub-munitions to neutralise airfield runways. The detonation of each of the ten KRISS sub-munitions, which are designed to penetrate concrete, can be programmed in order to prevent repair work being carried out and thus neutralise the airfield for a longer period of time. The APACHE AP is a stealth missile, with a low level of vulnerability achieved by its radar and infrared profiles (materials, shapes and propulsion), its contour hugging flight at very low altitude (weak signature "drowned out" by ground echoes) and the optimisation of its flight path with regard to defence systems (extremely detailed mission planning). The quality of its navigational abilities combine with its terminal accuracy to make it extremely effective.
The APACHE IZ (Interdiction area) also forms a part of the 1997-2002 national military plan.
On October 30, 1997 Matra BAe Dynamics (a subsidiary of the Lagardère and British Aerospace groups), Europe's leading company in guided weapons, won an order worth approximately 1.5 billion francs from the French Ministry of Defence's Délégation Générale pour l'Armement (DGA), for one hundred APACHE AP missiles. The assembly of the missiles will take place in France at Matra BAe Dynamics' Selles Saint-Denis (Loir-et-Cher) site, with its La Croix Saint-Ouen (Oise) and Salbris (Loir-et-Cher) sites supplying components. The firing tests at the Landes Test Centre (France) and in Sweden represented the culmination of the development phase, which began in 1989. The first qualification firing was successfully carried out in Sweden in August 1997.
Specifications
Country of Origin France
Similar Aerial Platform Tomahawk, AGM-86
Role Cruise, air-to-ground attack
Armament Submunitions and HE warhead
Length 16 ft, 4 in (5.01 m)
Span 8 ft, 3 in (2.53 m)
MISSILE AIR/SOL DE LONGUE PORTEE DE CROISIERE
Les récents conflits ont démontré l'importance de l'emploi
des missiles de croisière depuis des vecteurs navals ou aéroportés
contre des objectifs terrestres précis. En effet, au lendemain de la
Guerre du Golfe, les armées européennes avaient un besoin urgent
pour un missile de ce type qui présente l'avantage d'éviter les
dommages collatéraux tout en détruisant avec suffisament de puissance
des objectifs terrestres primordiaux (centres de commandement, bunkers...).
Quatre pays européens ont commandé le SCALP (France, Royaume-Uni,
Italie et Grèce) ainsi que les Emirats Arabes Unis avec le Black Shaheen.
Ce missile a pour objectif de détruire des cibles predéterminées
avant le vol et dont la menace sol/air ou sol/sol est trés grande. Il
peut opèrer aussi bien de jour que de nuit, et
STORM SHADOW / SCALP EG will be used for long range precision attacks, by day and night and in adverse weather, with a large launch envelope, from low to medium altitudes, offering considerable operation flexibility to the parent aircraft.
The missile, being a fire-and-forget weapon with high tolerances for the launch conditions, minimizes the crew workload, a feature which is of great importance in wartime stress conditions.
The STORM SHADOW / SCALP EG is a stealth missile and is fully independent after firing.
The only difference between the SCALP EG and STORM SHADOW is in the peripherals around the missile itself. The peripherals concern mainly missile adaptation subassemblies to French or British type aircraft; mission preparation systems, etc.
After launch, the STORM SHADOW / SCALP EG changes from its firing altitude to very low cruising altitude. Its inertial navigation is continuously updated through information supplied by its navigation system following the ground by digital terrain profile matching, by satellite positioning, and by GPS (Global Positioning System). This redundancy provides it with good navigational precision and excellent resistance to countermeasures. The passive infrared imagery homing head is activated during the final target approach phase. Automatic target recognition algorithms then compare the actual scene with the memorised scene, identify the designated target and select the target impact point in order to hit the target with very high precision.
In the United Kingdom, STORM SHADOW will be fitted on Tornado GR4, Harrier GR7 and Eurofighter Typhoon type aircraft belonging to the Royal Air Force.
In France, SCALP EG will be used on Mirage 2000D, Mirage 2000-5 and Rafale type aircraft belonging to the French Air Force. It will also be used on the French Navy Rafale aircraft carried on the "Charles de Gaulle" nuclear powered aircraft carrier.
Very long range Fire-and-forget with fully autonomous guidance
Low Level Terrain following
Optimum radar cross section
Effective penetrator warhead
High reliability
MAIN FEATURES and ADVANTAGES
High survivability and effectiveness
Storm Shadow/Scalp EG is a survivable, stealthy, cruise missile, with avionics tailored to meet the most demanding operational requirements:
Long stand-off range
minimizing aircraft and crew vulnerability and maximizing radius of action.
High missile survivability
in a hostile environment, thanks to very low altitude predictive terrain following flight and stealth technology (very low radar cross section and IR signature). Extended range and sophisticated mission planning allow avoidance of ground-air defence systems.
Excellent navigation accuracy
provided by tight integration of INS, GPS and terrain reference navigation system.
Pinpoint terminal accuracy
a high resolution IIR seeker and automatic target recognition (ATR).
Terminal effectiveness
provided by a high speed final dive and a tandem lethal package including a precursor charge and a large kinetic energy penetrator bomb.
Significant freedom of manœuvre
for the aircraft due to the ability of launching the missile from low level terrain following up to medium altitude flight.
Large tolerance
around the nominal launch point (large launch basket) provided by the mixed navigation system.
Fire-and-forget
operation of the missile at very long range from the target.
Minimal crew workload
enabling single seat aircraft pilots to operate the weapon system.
Characteristics of STORM SHADOW / SCALP EG
Mass About 1 300 kg
Length 5.10 m
Wing span 3 m, fins deployed
Warhead BROACH perforating and explosive charge
Propulsion TRI 60-30 turbojet
Speed Mach 0.8 +
Navigation inertial, GPS, with altimeter resetting
Terminal guidance infrared imagery homing head
Range > 250 km
Final phase imaging infra-red seeker automatic target recognition (ATR) and tracking high precision terminal guidance
Status of programme
STORM SHADOW is currently being developed as part of a £700 million contract placed by the UK Ministry of Defence in February 1997. The French Ministry of Defence issued a development and series production contract for the SCALP EG in December 1997. Italy joined this European cruise missile programme in October 1999 and has ordered STORM SHADOW to equip its Tornado and Eurofighter aircraft. In August 2000, Greece ordered SCALP EG to equip its Mirage 2000-5 Mk2 fighters.
The development and production programme for STORM SHADOW / SCALP EG is covered by a 1.5 billion Euros (£1 billion) programme, and the programme is currently in the advanced development phase. The definition of the weapon system is complete and all subsystems have been developed and qualified. Production of first series equipment is currently underway. Alenia Marconi Systems has already developed the training variant of the missile.
The first fully guided firing of the STORM SHADOW / SCALP EG took place successfully at the CEL Biscarosse range in France at the end of December 2000. Launched from a Mirage 2000 N, the missile flew for more than 250 km at low altitude before hitting the target, well within the CEP. The highly accurate terminal guidance used the high resolution target imagery from the IIR seeker. The first production missiles will be available in 2002.
The first flight of STORM SHADOW on the Tornado GR4 took place successfully on Friday 25 May 2001 at BAE SYSTEMS Warton in the UK. This marks a major stage in the integration of the weapon for the GR4 which enters service with the Royal Air Force in 2002.
New MBDA advanced studies are engaged concerning a sea-launched version of the SCALP missile. Dedicated to equip the future fregates and “Barracuda-class” sub-marines of the French Navy, the “SCALP NAVAL” will answer to other European requirements for deep land attack from the sea.
The Matra BAe Dynamics (MBD) Storm Shadow missile system has been selected for the RAF to meet SR (A) 1236, the Conventionally Armed Stand Off Missile (CASOM). The contract was awarded to MBD in February 1997 after an international competition with six other companies. The Storm Shadow missile system proposed by MBD is based on the flight-proven Apache air vehicle, and is optimised to meet UK requirements. The Storm Shadow system will provide long range firepower for the Royal Air Force's Tornado, EF 2000 and Harrier GR7 aircraft, ensuring aircrews no longer to enter heavily defended enemy airspace in order to destroy high value targets.
The French SCALP EG (Emploi Général / General Purpose) is the same weapon as Storm Shadow apart from national aspects related to both countries. The two similar, but not identical, Government technical requirements have been fully harmonised into a single common technical solution. The design was selected by the French government in December 1994 (APTGD programme) after a competition between Matra Défense and Aérospatiale. In January 1998 Matra BAe Dynamics (a subsidiary of the Lagardère and British Aerospace groups) received a major contract from the French Ministry of Defence for the mass-production of 500 SCALP cruise missiles. The SCALP E.G. will give Mirage 2000, Rafale and Eurofighter aircraft unprecedented stand-off fire power.
The Storm Shadow is a stealth cruise missile of around 1,300 kg carrying a powerful conventional warhead. Storm Shadow is an air-launched, conventionally-armed, long-range, stand-off, precision weapon, which is deployable at night or day, in most weather and operational conditions. It will be able to destroy sensitive and highly protected targets (command bunkers, communications centers, etc.) with very great accuracy, with a range of over 250 kilometres after an entirely autonomous terrain-following flight at very low altitude. It is being developed to attack and destroy a wide spectrum of static, high value targets as listed below:
C3 (Command, Control and Communication) facilities
airfield facilities
port facilities
ASM/ammo storage
ships/submarines in port
bridges.
Storm Shadow will be integrated onto Tornado GR4/4A, Harrier GR7/T10 and Eurofighter. It will be capable of employment in all theatres of conflict, and the warhead is optimised for use against hardened targets.
The Storm Shadow missile requirement embodies the following key features:
very long range
fire and forget, with fully autonomous guidance
low level terrain following
stealth design
effective penetrator warhead
high reliability
all up round [ensures high system readiness]
low cost of ownership.
The Storm Shadow weapon system comprises:
The operational missile and its All Up Round Container (AURC)
Mission Planning Infrastructure
Data Programming System
the Ground/Air Training missile (GATM) and its AURC.
The Storm Shadow missile is derived from the Apache Anti Runway missile. Key elements of this proven technology have been retained for Storm Shadow, but the following major modifications are being introduced to meet the particular Storm Shadow requirements:
new guidance and navigation based on TERPROM [TERrain PROfile Matching] terrain navigation with an integrated GPS;
terminal guidance using imaging infra-red sensor and autonomous target recognition system;
the high lethality of the system is achieved by the use of a BROACH [Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented CHarge] unitary warhead.
The missile weighs approximately 1,300 kilograms and is just over five metres long. Its maximum diameter is under one metre, and with its wings deployed, under three metres.
The first phase of the mission planning regime ensures that the missile navigates to the target with maximum survivability and then enters a robust target acquisition and terminal guidance phase. For complex and pre-determined missions, much of this data would have been pre-prepared earlier at the Command Headquarters. Following an Air Tasking Order, the Squadron would prepare the mission data file with the pre-planned data, together with the latest operational intelligence.
On approaching the terminal phase, the missile will initiate a bunt manoeuvre, pre-selected during mission planning, to obtain the best combination of acquisition probability and lethality against the target. As the missile climbs, it will jettison its nose cover, thereby enabling the missile high resolution imaging infra-red sensor to view the target area ahead.
The missile’s image processor will compare the actual image features with a reference set of features, determined during mission planning. When a feature match is achieved the target will be acquired and the required aim point selection tracked and used as the reference for the missile terminal guidance. As the missile closes in on the target the acquisition process will be repeated with a higher resolution data set to refine the aim point. Tracking will continue against this refined aim point until the precise target location is identified.
When engaging hard targets, such as Hardened Aircraft Shelters or bunkers, the missile will strike the target at the estimated optimum dive angle, selected during mission planning. On impact the detonation sequence commences. The precursor charge will perforate the target structure, and any soil covering, and the follow through penetrator warhead will continue to penetrate inside the target to be detonated after a pre-selectable fuse delay.
Should the mission be against a target with potential high collateral damage, the mission will be aborted if the target identification and acquisition process is unsuccessful. In this case the missile will fly to a predetermined crash site.
Major milestones in the future are:
air carriage clearance - July 1999
first guided firing - July 2000
design freeze - January 2001
In Service Date - Late 2001
The contract for the development and production of Storm Shadow was placed with Matra BAe Dynamics (UK) Ltd in February 1997 after a competitive tender exercise. This was one of the first contracts to be placed with this contractor. Matra BAe Dynamics (UK) Ltd is a subsidiary of Matra BAe Dynamics SAS, a company jointly owned by BAe plc and Lagardere SCA. Matra BAe Dynamics (France) Ltd has won the SCALP EG contract from the French Government.
The two parts of Matra BAe Dynamics act as separate Prime Contractors and hold the individual Storm Shadow and SCALP EG contracts for their respective national Governments. This has resulted in an industry collaborative programme that has undertaken certain aspects of the work normally handled by both Governments, such as the harmonisation of national requirements and the merging of national procurement methods. These aspects are exclusively carried out by Matra BAe Dynamics by a fully integrated French and UK management and engineering team. This common solution is shared by the subcontractors’ base who only have a single subcontract which embraces the joint requirements. This has resulted in a collaborative programme which is largely transparent to both Governments, and attracts little of the procurement overhead often associated with Government collaborative programmes. This approach has also had the added benefit of driving down costs and enabled both Governments to obtain more weapons for their money.
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