Meteor Missile Takes to the Sky with Europe’s New Generation Fighters

I don’t think I knew the Rafale was getting Meteor (well I don’t remember knowing it before 🙂 )

Meteor Missile Takes to the Sky with Europe’s New Generation Fighters

(Source: MBDA; issued Dec. 13, 2005)

International missile systems group, MBDA, this week launched a series of flight trials of the new Meteor missile in an unprecedented test programme involving Europe’s three new fighter aircraft – Gripen, Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon. All three fighters will be equipped with the new Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile under the six-nation missile programme for which MBDA is the Prime Contractor.

Meteor took to the skies on the French Navy’s Rafale M on Sunday 11th December for a week-long series of flight trials from the French Navy’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier. These mark the first carrier-launched flight trials of Meteor.

On 13th December, a separate campaign commenced in Sweden with flight trials of a Meteor Avionics missile from the Swedish Air Force’s Gripen combat aircraft while the first flight of a Eurofighter Typhoon carrying Meteor is scheduled later this week from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, UK.

Marwan Lahoud, Chief Executive Officer of MBDA, said: “This week represents an important milestone in the Meteor development programme. It is especially important that all three platforms destined to be equipped with Meteor are flying in the same week as this demonstrates the full significance of this international programme. Not only are we looking at a weapon system that will significantly enhance the air-to-air capabilities of the air forces of six nations, Meteor is proving itself to be an excellent example of what can be achieved through effective European collaboration. MBDA is also proving its unique ability in understanding a range of national requirements and in supporting the integration of a weapon system on three platforms simultaneously.”

A joint MBDA / Dassault Aviation team managed the trials of Meteor from the Rafale M, the single-seater carrier-based version of the Rafale combat aircraft now in service with the French Navy. Under these first carrier-based trials, around 20 catapult launches are being undertaken, a number of “touch-and-go” touch downs and around 20 full deck arrests to provide a fully comprehensive handling test of the aircraft armed with the missile.

For this test, which is taking place in the Mediterranean from the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, an Environmental Data Gathering (EDG) missile has been fitted to the Rafale, alternatively to its rail (under-wing) and eject (under-fuselage) stations. The EDG missile is an instrumented missile possessing all the dynamic properties of an operational missile in terms of size, weight and aerodynamic shape. With this missile, data on shock and vibration levels linked to the specific environment created by catapult launch and deck arrest will be gathered and analysed. This test is the latest in the ongoing Rafale EDG programme designed to gather data on the missile within its full operational envelope.

Meteor also took to the skies on Gripen on 13th December when SAAB Aerosystems carried out a highly significant test flight with a Meteor Avionics missile fitted to the port wing outboard rail station of the aircraft. As with the EDG missile, the Meteor Avionics missile represents all the dynamic properties of an operational missile but importantly, it also behaves exactly like an operational missile with regard to the mechanical and electrical interfaces between it and the aircraft. This flight, conducted at the Linköping air base in Sweden, marked the first demonstration of Meteor’s performance, specifically the active communications in both directions between the aircraft and the missile.

Later this week, the first flight of a Eurofighter Typhoon configured with Meteor will take place in a trial conducted by No 17 (R) Squadron, the RAF’s (Royal Air Force) Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit. During this trial, two Meteor Ground Handling and Training Missile (GHTM) missiles will be mounted on the aircraft’s port and starboard forward fuselage stations. The GHTM, similar to the EDG and Avionics missiles but without instrumentation, tests how the aircraft handles a series of manoeuvres with the missile.

This very important week in the Meteor development programme will pave the way for other forthcoming flight trials on each of the three aircraft and particularly for the next major milestone, the first Air-Launched Demonstration (ALD) firing of the missile. The ALD firing will be carried out from the Gripen at the Vidsel range in Sweden in 2006. Unlike the GHTM, EDG and Avionics missiles used this week, the ALD missile, though having the same functionality as the Avionics variant in respect to its interface with the aircraft, will have a fully operational propulsion system and an autopilot capability enabling a pre-programmed flight to be conducted with full telemetry.

Martin Evans, MBDA’s Multinational Project Director Meteor, said: “These successful trials campaigns mark a significant achievement and watershed in the Meteor development programme as the design phase matures with real flight hardware becoming available and undergoing true life testing on all three aircraft platforms. These trials also mark critical steps towards the first free-flight trials of Meteor in 2006, when the Air Launched Demonstrator firings will be conducted from the Gripen aircraft, whilst also highlighting the true multinational nature of the programme as MBDA heads a six nation industrial base interfacing with three different aircraft design authorities to conduct flight trials simultaneously across three separate countries.”

BACKGROUND NOTES:

The French Navy’s Rafale M entered service in 2001. On 9th September 2005, the first flight of a Rafale combat aircraft configured with MBDA’s Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile was successfully carried out at the Centre d’Essais en Vol at Istres in south east France.

JAS 39 Gripen is in service with the Swedish and Czech Republic Air Forces and has also been ordered by the South African and Hungarian Air Forces.

Eurofighter Typhoon, now in service with the RAF and the air forces of Germany, Italy and Spain, can carry a total of six Meteor missiles, one under each wing and four on the semi-buried eject fuselage stations.

No 17 (R) Squadron is the RAF’s Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit (FJ & Weapons OEU). The Unit specialises in conducting operational test and evaluation trials with both new and improved equipment.

Meteor is being developed to meet the requirements of six European nations for a superior Beyond Visual Range missile system with the operational capability to excel in all future combat scenarios. It also has the potential to add to the air-to-air capability of the next generation combat platform, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The Meteor programme sees France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK joining together in order to provide access to technology and expertise across Europe. The Meteor contract was signed by the UK Defence Procurement Agency on 23rd December 2002 on behalf of all six nations. This contract covers development of Meteor and provides production options to meet the individual national requirements.

Meteor is a fast and highly manoeuvrable Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air weapon. Guidance is provided by an active radar seeker benefiting from enhanced technologies drawn from the MBDA Aster and Mica missile programmes. The missile is allocated targets from the launch aircraft radar and is capable of engaging air targets autonomously by night or day, in all weather and in severe electronic warfare environments.

Designed to defeat the emerging threat from new BVR missiles, Meteor provides the long stand-off range and high kill probability which combine to ensure pilot survivability. Meteor is equipped with both a proximity and impact fuse to ensure total target destruction in all circumstances.

With an annual turnover exceeding EUR 3 billion, a forward order book of over EUR 13 billion and over 70 customers world wide, MBDA is a world leading, global missile systems company.

MBDA is jointly owned by BAE Systems (37.5%), EADS (37.5%) and Finmeccanica (25%). (ends)

Gripen First to Flight-Validate System Integration with Meteor

(Source: Gripen International; issued Dec. 13, 2005)

When a Gripen multi role fighter, carrying a Meteor Avionics missile, took off today from the Saab-field in Linköping, Sweden, it marked an important milestone in the Meteor development program. For the first time a Meteor missile equipped with functional subsystems has been used in flight.

This flight was the first time a Gripen and a real subsystems equipped Meteor missile took to the air. It was also the first time in a missile program, when theaircraft integration for all three designated aircraft, that will carry the missile, will be conducted in parallel with the actual missile development program. Gripen is at the center of this program and this flight was one of many that will involve Meteor and Gripen.

The Meteor Avionics missile represents all the dynamic properties of an operational missile in terms of size, weight and aerodynamic shape. Importantly, it behaves exactly like an operational missile with regard to the computer hardware and software interfaces between it and the aircraft.

Thomas Hellström, Project Manager Meteor Integration at Saab, stated:

“This is an important milestone, and the integration process has been very successful. We have established a solid foundation for the upcoming flight campaigns. With this first flight we verified the systems on Meteor and Gripen work very well together. The flight demonstrated installed performance and active communication in both directions.”

Further flights, to demonstrate successful interaction between Gripen aircraft and Meteor missile, will take place at the Saab Flight Test Center in Linköping, prior to the first live firing. Gripen performed the first trial fit of a geometrically representative Meteor missile in April 2004 and will perform the first air-launched live missile firing in 2006 from the Vidsel test facility in the north of Sweden.

Martin Evans, MBDA’s Multinational Project Director Meteor, said:

“The successful completion of this flight trial marks a significant step towards the first free flight trials of Meteor in 2006 when the Air Launched Demonstrator (ALD) firings will be conducted from the Gripen aircraft in Sweden. This is a significant event for the Meteor development programme with real flight hardware becoming available and undergoing true life testing on the Gripen platform. This flight is the result of an excellent working relationship established between MBDA and Saab which will stand the programme in good stead as the ALD firings approach”.

BACKGROUND NOTES:

Gripen is the first of the new generation, multi-role combat aircraft to enter service. Using the latest available technology it is capable of performing an extensive range of air-to-air, air-to-surface and reconnaissance missions and employing the latest weapons. Gripen is in service with the Swedish and Czech Republic Air Forces and has also been ordered by the South African and Hungarian Air Forces. The UK Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS) is operating Gripen as its advanced fast jet platform for test pilots worldwide.

Meteor is being developed by the European guided weapons leader MBDA to meet the requirements of six European nations for a superior Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile system with the operational capability to excel in all future aerial combat scenarios. Designed to defeat the emerging threat from new BVR missiles, Meteor provides the long stand-off range and high kill probability which combine to ensure pilot survivability. The missile’s ramjet propulsion system gives Meteor its high-speed performance and the energy to defeat fast, manoeuvring targets at long range.

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