The British Royal Air Force (RAF) with its Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35B fighter jets have broken records in an air war exercise, by launching a short-range air-to-air missile for the first time – the AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM). in large numbers against drone targets.
In all, 53 ASRAAM missiles were fired over a 10-day period, by pilots from several RAF squadrons flying a number of Typhoon fighters and F-35B stealth fighter jets. Quoted from Thedrive.com (24/10/2022), each missile is reported to cost around £200,000 (or around US$225,500 based on current conversion rates).
The aerial warfare drills took place at the Missile Practice Camp in the Hebrides Air Weapon Ranges, off the northwest coast of Scotland, last month, over 44,000 square miles of airspace at infinity altitude. Exercises with live fire FOX2 Frenzy missiles, referring to the short code for infrared-guided missile launches, involving exclusively ASRAAM capabilities, a missile type manufactured by MBDA UK.
This massive air war exercise involves no less than eight squadrons of air, including two squadrons of F-35Bs, No. 207 and No. 617 “Dambusters,” both based at RAF Marham, UK, when not operating aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
In a press release, a weapons technician from Squadron IX said: “Seeing the preparation of aircraft and missiles is very important for the more junior members, giving them the opportunity to understand the challenges of hands-on shooting practice.”
Operating an armed combat aircraft requires all involved to maintain the highest level of concentration as there is an extra risk. “As a weapons technician, you get tremendous job satisfaction loading the missiles onto the plane, doing all the load testing, and watching the plane glide with the guns. And when the plane comes back 'clean' after successfully firing a missile, it validates years of training, hard work and months of preparation," the engineer said.
In combat drills, British Air Force pilots use ASRAAM to actually destroy multiple air targets, aided by fully instrumented 3D testing and evaluation equipment from the Hebrides Air Weapon Ranges that collects real-time data on missile launches. As a target was the Banshee JT-80 drone which was used to replicate enemy manned aircraft.
As for the ASRAAM missile, it is the standard short-range air-to-air missile for the British Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35B. In use since 1998, ASRAAM adopts an infrared guidance system that combines a focal plane array with lock-on after launch (LOAL), and strapdown inertial guidance. Equipped with a 10 kg blast/fragmentation warhead, ASRAAM's detonation mechanism relies on impact and laser proximity.
Read: Qods Mohajer-6 – Iranian Combatant Drone Delivered to Ukraine, Kamikaze Shahed-136 Drone Guide
The AIM-132 ASRAAM is powered by a dual-burn, high-impulse solid rocket motor, allowing this 88 kg missile to go over Mach 3 and hit targets as far as 25 km. From the specifications, ASRAAM has a length of 2.9 meters, a diameter of 166 mm and a wingspan of 450 mm. ASRAAM is designed to handle extreme maneuvers up to 50g supported by body lift technology with tail control.
Follow Daily Post on Google News to update information quickly. Thank you for visiting our website..!! Don't forget to share any information to help develop our website.
,%20Operational%20Range%20of%20Rafale%20Fighter%20Jets%20Increases%2025%20Percent.jpg)
0 Comments