StandOff & PGM Weapons

[Pit]

In February 2006, it was certified the OAO Region KAB-500S "GLONASS/GPS" guided bomb by the Russian Air Force's 929 GLITS, at Akhtubinsk Air Force Base in the Volga Region and the weapon was introduced formally into the Su-34 arsenal (another weapons that would be included into the Fullback arsenal will be the long-range gliding EO bomb UPAB-500 showed in September at the same place).

MKB Kompas, the design bureau that worked on the PSN-2001, GLONASS/GPS multichannel receptor (24 channels) anounced that they're integrating the PSN-2001 receptor into a new series of Tactical Missiles Corporation Kh-25 missiles, called Kh-25MS and MSE (for export), to this we can add the desire of NIIR-Phazotron to introduce its MMW (Ka band) radar seaker head PSM-E into a new Kh-25 series of missiles (called Kh-25MA/MAE), here is a short JMR snippet:

The PSM-E weighs no more than 16 kg and operates in Ka-band (18-40 GHz). The antenna can scan through ±30° in azimuth and ±20° in elevation. Designed to detect, lock onto and track small-sized moving or fixed ground targets, the seeker can be used by day or night and under clear or adverse weather conditions.

It will determine the range, velocity, angular co-ordinates and angular line-of-sight rates of targets, and has a high enough resolution to resolve a single target from within a closely spaced group. Target range is determined to an accuracy of 8-10 m; target velocity is to within 0.5 m/s.

According to Phazotron-NIIR, the PSM-E offers both contrast modes and correlation modes using references that are loaded during pre-flight preparations. Pre-flight preparation of the seeker takes 60 seconds and includes a built-in test routine.

Typical targets include stationary or moving armoured fighting vehicles; moving or deployed artillery; parked aircraft and helicopters; fortified positions; launch sites or transporter/erector launchers for tactical or surface-to-air missiles; radar sites; ammunition depots; fuel-oil depots; railway trains; bridges and crossings; and small industrial facilities. A tank can be detected at a range of 4 km; a small building at 5-8 km.

Some nice things coming out of Russia...

Sources:

www.missiles.ru

Ka-band seeker boosts Kh-25 attack capability
By Yevgeniy Letunovsky
JANE'S MISSILES AND ROCKETS 16-Sep-2005

 

[bobbymike]

http://www.wearethemighty.com/intel/heres-2000-lb-missile-called-terrorist-killer

 

[bobbymike]

Anyone know what weapon, counter A2AD, this might be?

USAF wants $1.1B over FYDP, industry proposals to upgrade counter-A2/AD missile for F-35
The Air Force is looking to invest more than $1 billion over the next five years and will publish a request for proposals this spring to upgrade a developmental Navy guided missile that's intended to enhance the F-35 fighter jet's performance against anti-access/area-denial defenses.
(448 words)

 

[Ronny]

Anyone know what weapon, counter A2AD, this might be?

USAF wants $1.1B over FYDP, industry proposals to upgrade counter-A2/AD missile for F-35
The Air Force is looking to invest more than $1 billion over the next five years and will publish a request for proposals this spring to upgrade a developmental Navy guided missile that's intended to enhance the F-35 fighter jet's performance against anti-access/area-denial defenses.
(448 words)

Is that SiaW? Based on AARGM-ER?

.The baseline version [AARGM] is already integrated onto the F-35. Military testers will vet the SiAW on the F-35 in the early 2020s so it can begin regular operations by the mid-2020s. It’s expected to wield a new warhead, the design of which is slated to end in fiscal 2021.


The Air Force created the program in 2018 and requested $160.4 million for SiAW development in its 2021 budget, ramping up to $364.5 million in 2025. The request did not say how much the weapon will cost in total

New Missile Prepares for F-35 Tests | Air & Space Forces Magazine

The Air Force is moving forward with its Stand-In Attack Weapon, preparing to check how it fits inside the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter this summer.

www.airforcemag.com

 

[bobbymike]

Report to Congress on Precision-Guided Munitions - USNI News

The following is the Feb. 27, 2020 Congressional Research Service report, Precision-Guided Munitions: Background and Issues for Congress. Over the years, the U.S. military has become reliant on precision-guided munitions (PGMs) to execute military operations. PGMs are used in ground, air, and...

news.usni.org

 

[Grey Havoc]

Pentagon awards Lockheed Martin nearly $1 billion for new air-launched cruise missiles

The Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin $818,2 million for the defense giants’ Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range, or JASSM-ERs, the Defense Department announced Wednesday. The multi-million dollar award is provided for 360 Lot 17 JASSM-Extended Range (ER) missiles; 40 Lot 17...

defence-blog.com

Northrop Grumman to start AARGM-ER production for US Navy

The US Navy intends to award a sole source contract to Northrop Grumman to start production of the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile - Extended Range.

www.flightglobal.com

 

[FighterJock]

Pentagon awards Lockheed Martin nearly $1 billion for new air-launched cruise missiles

The Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin $818,2 million for the defense giants’ Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range, or JASSM-ERs, the Defense Department announced Wednesday. The multi-million dollar award is provided for 360 Lot 17 JASSM-Extended Range (ER) missiles; 40 Lot 17...

defence-blog.com

Northrop Grumman to start AARGM-ER production for US Navy

The US Navy intends to award a sole source contract to Northrop Grumman to start production of the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile - Extended Range.

www.flightglobal.com

That is excellent news for both companies Grey Havoc, how many missiles are involved in both contracts?

 

[Grey Havoc]

Around 750 JASSM-ERs in two lots, one of them for FMS. With regards as to AARGM-ER, I would hazard a guess that this initial LRP batch will be less than a hundred missiles at most. Could be small as 30-40 missiles.

 

[bobbymike]

U.S. Army Awards AeroVironment $146 Million Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems (LMAMS) Contract for Switchblade Procurement

AeroVironment’s combat proven Switchblade with patented wave-off feature provides operators with increased lethality, reach and precision strike capabilities with low collateral effectsFirst year o…

www.dsjournal.com

 

[bobbymike]

IAI’s LORA Missile Conducts Double Test at Sea - Defense Update:

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has completed a dual operational firing trial with LORA (Long-Range Artillery Weapon System), a precise ballistic strike missile. Performed as part of IAI's work plan, the test demonstrated the capabilities of the advanced system to customers. The complex trial...

defense-update.com

 

[fredymac]

IAI’s LORA Missile Conducts Double Test at Sea - Defense Update:

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has completed a dual operational firing trial with LORA (Long-Range Artillery Weapon System), a precise ballistic strike missile. Performed as part of IAI's work plan, the test demonstrated the capabilities of the advanced system to customers. The complex trial...

defense-update.com

Video from article. 400km range surface/surface missile. Hits a stationary target. I assume there is a datalink to update target position if its moving. In this case a networked group of aerial drones might be able to see that far away and relay the data back.

 

[bobbymike]

Big Money for Next-Gen Munitions

Big Money for Next-Gen Munitions

www.nationaldefensemagazine.org

 

[Grey Havoc]

Major gaps in that plan though.

 

[bobbymike]

StormBreaker Mini Glide Bomb That Can Hit Moving Targets In Any Weather Is Ready For War

Now it has been approved for fielding, U.S. Air Force F-15E squadrons downrange will be the first to carry the precision weapons on combat sorties.

www.thedrive.com

 

[bobbymike]

Rafael Extends SPICE 250 Range with New Turbojet Engine - Defense Update:

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. has unveiled a new variant of the SPICE 250 air-to-surface munition, equipped with an integrated turbojet engine that extends flight range to 150 km. RAFAEL unveiled the new version today at the Aero India 2021 exhibition. SPICE is combat-proven and in...

defense-update.com

 

[bobbymike]

Airpower Demands Drive Air-Launched Cruise Missile Evolution | Aviation Week Network

With advanced air defense threats proliferating, the demand for advanced standoff air-launched cruise missiles is increasing.

aviationweek.com

 

[Grey Havoc]

That external link glitch on their end yet again, argh!

 

[bobbymike]

That external link glitch on their end yet again, argh!

I hit refresh seems to work.

 

[bobbymike]

Russian Company Plans New Generation Of Missiles | Aviation Week Network

Vympel is funding research into a continuation of a short-range missile project shelved decades ago.

aviationweek.com

 

[bobbymike]

Report to Congress on Precision-Guided Weapons - USNI News

The following is the June 11, 2021 Congressional Research Service report, Precision-Guided Munitions: Background and Issues for Congress. From the report Over the years, the U.S. military has become reliant on precision-guided munitions (PGMs) to execute military operations. PGMs are used in...

news.usni.org

 

[aonestudio]

Rapid Dragon conducts first system-level demonstration of palletized munitions

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFRL) – The Air Force Rapid Dragon Program, a fast-paced experimentation campaign led by the Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation office, has

www.afrl.af.mil

AFRL showcases new precision effects capability

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFRL) – The Air Force Research Laboratory concluded its Dialable Effects Munition demonstration program during a test of the experimental weapon July 28. The DEM, an Office

www.afrl.af.mil

 

[GARGEAN]

Were those two here?

K08BE (no apparent name) glide bomb. 500kg caliber, 390kg HE-FRAG warhead, Satnav guidance, 40km range.

K029BE UPAB-1500 glide bomb. 1500kg caliber, 1010kg bunker buster warhead, Satnav guidance, 50km range.

 

[bobbymike]

The Air Force's New 5,000-Pound Bunker Buster Bomb Breaks Cover

The GBU-72/B offers an improved all-weather bunker-busting capability in between the Air Force's 2,000-pound and 30,000-pound class types.

www.thedrive.com

 

[aonestudio]

Rapid Dragon conducts palletized munition demonstration using production long range cruise missile separation test vehicle

The Air Force Rapid Dragon Program, a fast-paced experimentation campaign led by the Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation (SDPE) office, completed another successful flight demonstration November 3. The test, conducted at White Sands Missile Range, demonstrated the...

www.dvidshub.net

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0Pj-0xYFzg

 

[Josh_TN]

How many pallets were dropped and loaded? The article mentions a four cell pallet, but it looks like there are at least two pallets on the flat bed.

 

[aonestudio]

US Air Force squadron becomes first operational unit to drop StormBreaker bomb

It's a major step forward for the small diameter bomb, which at one point was delayed for about a year while a flawed component was redesigned and fixed.

www.defensenews.com

 

[bobbymike]

Airborne Lasers, New Kinetic Weapons Paired in Virtual Test | Air & Space Forces Magazine

The Air Force Research Laboratory conducted an experiment recently combining lasers with other weapon concepts in virtual simulations.

www.airforcemag.com

 

[GTX]

Australia approved to buy JASSM-ER | ADBR

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has advised that the US State Department has approved the possible foreign military sale (FMS) of the Lockheed Martin AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff…

adbr.com.au

 

[Josh_TN]

Was AGM-158B ever integrated with the F-18? Or will these be used from the F-35s?

 

[TomS]

Was AGM-158B ever integrated with the F-18? Or will these be used from the F-35s?

This is for both. The USN also ordered JASSM-ER for Super Hornet last year. Given the commonalities between LRASM and JASSM-ER, integration should be fairly straightforward.

 

[GTX]

Yep, as the article says: "...The Royal Australian Air Force plans to employ the JASSM-ER from its Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets and Lockheed Martin F-35A fighters..."

A cool picture too:

 

[Forest Green]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1576810362652938240

 

[bobbymike]

Meet Anduril's new loitering munitions, the firm's first (but not last) weapons program - Breaking Defense

"This will be a large and growing family of systems that we intend to add to in the years to come," Anduril chief strategy officer Chris Brose told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview.

breakingdefense.com

 

[TomcatViP]

US Special Forces will showcase first ever live fire of airdropped cruise missiles off Northern Norway

The brand new Rapid Dragon is a highly potent weapon system that can launch a swarm of cruise missiles from a standard military transport plane. The United States, with NATO members, will for the first time exercise this strike capability inside the Arctic Circle over the Norwegian Sea, sometime...

thebarentsobserver.com

 

[aonestudio]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ep1tbiEGs

Special Ops C-130 Tests Pallet-Dropped Cruise Missiles In The Arctic

The Air Force's Rapid Dragon palletized munitions system has made its first trip to Europe, including being loaded aboard a Polish C-130.

www.thedrive.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1590312983296880640

View: https://twitter.com/US_SOCEUR/status/1590312983296880640

https://twitter.com/x/status/1590389210825035780

View: https://twitter.com/352SOW/status/1590389210825035780

SDPE’s Rapid Dragon capability demonstrated in Norway

The Air Force Rapid Dragon Experimentation Program, led and developed by the Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation, or SDPE, office, part of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s

www.afmc.af.mil

 

[Forest Green]

SMARTGLIDER | Air Dominance, TACTICAL STRIKE | MBDA

SMARTGLIDER Air Dominance, TACTICAL STRIKE | LONG RANGE, MULTI-TARGET PRECISION GLIDE MUNITION | High precision and flexible multi-mode terminal guidance

www.mbda-systems.com

• Weight: Light 120kg / Heavy 1,300kg
• 
  
  Length: Light < 2m / Heavy 4m
• 
  
  Warhead: Light 80kg multi-effect unitary charge / Heavy 1,000kg class with combined high blast and penetration effects
• 
  
  Max range: Light and Heavy much greater than 100 km

 

[Josh_TN]

SMARTGLIDER | Air Dominance, TACTICAL STRIKE | MBDA

SMARTGLIDER Air Dominance, TACTICAL STRIKE | LONG RANGE, MULTI-TARGET PRECISION GLIDE MUNITION | High precision and flexible multi-mode terminal guidance

www.mbda-systems.com

• Weight: Light 120kg / Heavy 1,300kg
• 
  
  Length: Light < 2m / Heavy 4m
• 
  
  Warhead: Light 80kg multi-effect unitary charge / Heavy 1,000kg class with combined high blast and penetration effects
• 
  
  Max range: Light and Heavy much greater than 100 km

View attachment 686910

Isn't the light version redundant with SDB I/II and the heavy version not particularly different from a Mk84 with a wing and appropriate guidance kit?

 

[muttbutt]

SMARTGLIDER | Air Dominance, TACTICAL STRIKE | MBDA

SMARTGLIDER Air Dominance, TACTICAL STRIKE | LONG RANGE, MULTI-TARGET PRECISION GLIDE MUNITION | High precision and flexible multi-mode terminal guidance

www.mbda-systems.com

• Weight: Light 120kg / Heavy 1,300kg
• 
  
  Length: Light < 2m / Heavy 4m
• 
  
  Warhead: Light 80kg multi-effect unitary charge / Heavy 1,000kg class with combined high blast and penetration effects
• 
  
  Max range: Light and Heavy much greater than 100 km

View attachment 686910

Isn't the light version redundant with SDB I/II and the heavy version not particularly different from a Mk84 with a wing and appropriate guidance kit?

Not if they are free of US restrictions.

 

[red admiral]

It's basically because MBDA France and UK are separate companies.

France doesn't want to buy SPEAR3 from UK or SDB from US so is creating their own version

 

[Forest Green]

The quote range seems optimistic for a glider, "much greater than 100km."

100km maybe, 'much greater' than that would require an engine though.