![]() ![]() The competition commenced formally in June 1995 against a backdrop of government and industrial contacts between the UK, France, and Germany aimed at establishing a common requirement and an industrial consortium. ![]() Hughes, supported by the US Government, proposed an AMRAAM derivative based on upgrade work being carried out.Daimler-Benz Aerospace and Bayern-Chemie proposed the Advanced Air-to-Air Missile (A3M).Matra proposed a derivative of the MICA, although the long-planned merger of its missile division and BAe Dynamics was expected to lead to the removal of this proposal.BAe, Alenia Difesa, GEC-Marconi, and Saab Dynamics, proposed the S225XR.Four concepts were produced in response, all using integrated rocket/ramjet propulsion: In February 1994 the UK MoD issued a RFI on the possibility of the development of an advanced medium range air-to-air missile. These requirements were largely shaped by the perceived threat posed by advanced versions of the Russian Sukhoi Su-27 "Flanker" armed with extended range ramjet powered versions of the R-77 missile. Key features of the requirement included "stealthy launch, enhanced kinematics, which will provide the missile with sufficient energy to chase and destroy a highly agile manoeuvring target, robust performance in countermeasures and the ability for the launch aircraft to fire and disengage at the earliest opportunity thus enhancing aircraft survivability". The missile external geometry would be constrained by the need for compatibility with Eurofighter's semi-recessed underfuselage launchers which had been designed for AMRAAM. ![]() As the primary air-to-air armament of Eurofighter, the missile would be used against a range of fixed- and rotary-wing targets including unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles.Īlthough no detailed performance requirements have been publicly released, they were understood to demand launch success and no-escape zones approaching twice that of the then "state-of-the-art" medium-range missile, AMRAAM. Meteor was selected in competition to meet the UK's Staff Requirement (Air) 1239 (SR(A)1239), for a Future Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile ( FMRAAM) to replace the RAF's BAe Dynamics Skyflash missiles. The Meteor is also intended to equip British and Italian F-35 Lightning IIs and has been exported to various customers of the Rafale, Typhoon and Gripen. They also equip the French Air Force and Navy's Dassault Rafale as well as the Eurofighter Typhoons of the Royal Air Force, German Air Force, Italian Air Force and Spanish Air Force. The fruit of a joint European project, Meteor missiles first entered service on the Swedish Air Force's JAS 39 Gripens in April 2016 and officially achieved initial operating capability (IOC) in July 2016. In addition to this, the missile is also equipped with both proximity and impact fuses to maximise destructive effects and reliability. According to MBDA, Meteor has three to six times the kinetic performance of current air-to-air missiles of its type. The datalink is capable of transmitting missile information such as functional and kinematic status, information about multiple targets, and notification of target acquisition by the seeker. A two-way datalink enables the launch aircraft to provide mid-course target updates or retargeting if required, including data from off-board third parties. Ī solid-fueled ramjet motor allows the missile to cruise at a speed of over Mach 4 and provides the missile with thrust and mid-course acceleration to target intercept. It offers a multi-shot capability (multiple launches against multiple targets), and has the ability to engage highly maneuverable targets, such as jets, and small targets such as UAVs and cruise missiles in a heavy electronic countermeasures (ECM) environment with a range far in excess of 100 kilometres (54 nmi). The Meteor is a European active radar guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) developed and manufactured by MBDA. Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II (pending).
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