MBDA, Europe's world leading developer and manufacturer of missiles and missile systems has established a firm relationship with the GCC region which stretches back some 30 years and includes equipment supplied to air, land and sea forces. Indeed, MBDA is the only company in the sector that has this total capability. The scale of the company's presence and the range of equipment on display at the Dubai Air Show during November 2011 is a clear indicator of the importance that MBDA places in this relationship. This importance is also backed by the long-term political support of MBDA's four domestic customers, France, Germany, Italy and the UK.
Though MBDA's stand will demonstrate its comprehensive capabilities covering air, land and maritime products, the main emphasis in Dubai will be on air-launched and ground based air defence missile systems, particularly those air systems that performed so outstandingly during recent operations in Libya.
AIR-LAUNCHED SUPERIORITY
With MBDA the main weapons supplier for several of the major aircraft platforms either in use or under consideration by the region, namely Mirage, Tornado, Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale, the company will be stressing the air-launched capability that its weapon systems are capable of providing. MBDA experts will also be on hand to discuss the exceptionally positive customer feedback that two weapons in particular, namely Dual Mode Brimstone (DMB) and Storm Shadow / SCALP, received after very recent combat deployment in Libya. Both DMB and Storm Shadow / SCALP were used extensively during Operation Unified Protector in Libya.
With regard to Dual Mode Brimstone and its use by the Royal Air Force, the UK government said its "effects have been remarkable" after the missile had proven its ability to strike a range of both fast moving and static targets with total precision and the absolute minimum of collateral damage. This missile, launched from a triple launcher, gives the pilot several options thanks to its dual mode seeker - combining the advantages of a millimetric wave radar and a Semi-Active Laser (SAL). With the benefit of the radar a number of "kill boxes" can be set. The pilot can then launch his DMBs singly or in salvo. The missiles will head autonomously to their designated areas or boxes to search for and destroy the allocated targets. In the meantime the pilot has pulled away to continue his mission or to return to base. When the target or conditions call for man-in-the-loop control, the pilot will deploy the SAL facility to ensure a hit on target even in a cluttered urban environment where fire-and-forget could endanger non-combatants.
Storm Shadow / SCALP had already proven its efficiency in Iraq before the outbreak of operations in Libya. In this latter campaign, the weapon was launched by a number of nations. As an indication of the weapon's flexibility and maturity, during Libyan operations the French armed forces organised a joint sortie which involved both airfield based Mirages and carrier based Rafales. The sortie, which was fully successful in achieving its objective, involved a coordinated attack with seven of these highly accurate cruise missiles being launched. Storm Shadow / SCALP has proven time and again under combat conditions that it is unmatched in terms of stealthy, long range precision strike.
MBDA will also be displaying ASRAAM which is classified as a within visual range (WVR) dominance weapon. The weapon features an incredibly fast reaction time from button press to end-game performance giving the pilot the ability to engage the enemy without risking a dogfight as ASRAAM will defeat all WVR missiles, existing or planned. A key feature of ASRAAM is its exceptionally high speed (maintained throughout the entire flight envelope) achieved by means of a combination of low drag and rocket motor size and which gives the weapon its high level of agility.
The missile system linked to Mirage and Rafale is MBDA's MICA which will also be in full view at the Dubai Air Show. An aircraft equipped with a full MICA configuration, namely a combination of two, interoperable missile versions, MICA RF (active radio frequency) and MICA IR (passive dual waveband imaging infrared seeker), where the type of guidance can be selected at the very last moment before launch, gives the fighter pilot a very flexible and comprehensive all-sector short range to Beyond Visual Range capability. The tactics to evade RF or IR missiles are very different; as a result MICA has become known as the "silent killer" as a targeted aircraft is highly unlikely to pick up that it is under attack.
Looking across the range of new generation European combat aircraft such as Rafale, Typhoon and Gripen, Meteor is being developed by MBDA to offer a major and truly unbeatable air combat advantage. Meteor has been designed to provide the largest No Escape Zone of any air-to-air weapon resulting in a long stand-off range and high kill probability to ensure air superiority and pilot survivability. Unlike other supposedly long range air-to-air weapons, Meteor's ramjet propulsion allows the missile to maintain velocity (the missile reaches speeds of around mach 4) throughout the entire flight envelope right up to the final stages of target approach and end-game impact. It is this unequalled capability that gives Meteor its exceptional agility which serves to make an enemy aircraft's evasive manoeuvres completely futile.
TOTAL GROUND BASED AIR DEFENCE (GBAD)
Air superiority in itself is not sufficient to protect against the airborne threat which is manifold and complex. MBDA is a clear leader in this domain with the necessary range of equipment to provide a full air defence architecture that covers the three necessary defensive layers - very short range (VSHORAD), short range (SHORAD) and medium to long range interceptors. At the Dubai Air Show a number of systems will be on display from the high mobility MPCV to the Aster 30 system designed to protect high value sites and areas as well as deployed forces from the full spectrum of air attack. At the show, MBDA's experts will also explain how there is a worrying and highly dangerous proliferation of new classes of ballistic missile that is taking place, they will also explain how Aster is capable of combating the threat.
MPCV is just one of a number of VSHORAD systems deploying the highly flexible Mistral missile. Ordered by a customer in the region, MPCV features four ready-to fire missiles mounted on its turret. It is a high performance, high fire power (the Mistral missiles can be rapidly reloaded) high mobility system.
For a simultaneous, multi-target engagement, 360° capability, VL MICA provides an ideal solution for the protection of fixed or mobile military or civilian assets. This vertically launched system covers the short to medium range spectrum and features the extensively proven in-service MICA missile to provide a rapid reaction all-weather defence against a wide range of threats. With its very short reaction time and high firing rate it can deal with several targets simultaneously. The system comprises a Tactical Operation Centre (TOC) and up to six launchers (each housing four missiles) mounted on vehicles.
To optimise the deployment of Mistral and VL MICA, an effective Command and Control (C2) system is required. On its stand, MBDA will demonstrate how its flexible MCP/PCP development coordinates and links up Mistral and VL MICA launchers allowing a platoon air defence commander to control multi-layer GBAD units.
In October 2010 in a major first for Europe, MBDA achieved the first ever intercept of a target representing a ballistic missile during a test firing in France. This marked a highly significant landmark both in terms of indigenous European capability and also in providing unassailable proof of MBDA's mastery of the most complex of defence technologies. Visitors to the MBDA stand will be able to obtain details of the system behind this achievement and the Aster 30 missile that it deploys.
Aster 30 is deployed in the vertical launcher of the SAMP/T system developed by MBDA for the French and Italian armed forces. The system is mature and has undergone a number of qualification trials carried out successfully by both countries. The Aster 30 missile system offers high-level tactical and strategic mobility and due to its high rate of fire is capable of countering saturating threats. To ensure an impenetrable defence layer, Aster 30 features exceptional manoeuvrability giving it an all important "hit-to-kill" capability.
-Ends-
With industrial facilities in four European countries and within the USA, in 2010 MBDA achieved a turnover of 2.8 billion euros with an order book of 10.8 billion euros. With more than 90 armed forces customers in the world, MBDA is a world leader in missiles and missile systems.
MBDA is the only group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air). In total, the group offers a range of 45 missile systems and countermeasures products already in operational service and more than 15 others currently in development.
MBDA is jointly held by BAE SYSTEMS (37,5%), EADS (37,5%) and FINMECCANICA (25%).
Press contacts :
Jean Dupont
Group Head of Media Relations
Tel: + 33 (0) 1 71 54 11 73
jean.dupont@mbda-systems.com
Mobile: + 33 (0) 6 33 37 64 66
Marie-Astrid Steff
Tel: + 33 (0)1 71 54 27 27
marie-astrid.steff@mbda-systems.com
Mobile: +33 (0) 6 72 99 92 10
Joanne Taylor
Tel: +971 4 3901630
joanne@graylingmomentum.com
Mobile: +971 55 5216024
Internet: www.mbda-systems.com
© Press Release 2011
