Brimstone

Proposals for the Joint Air to Ground Missile (JAGM) were submitted last week by LM and a team from Boeing/Raytheon. It is to replace Hellfire and Maverick. JAGM’s trick is a tri-mode seeker robust to weather and countermeasures.

Early in the JAGM competition, Boeing was talking to MBDA about using the Brimstone airframe and adding it own seeker. I guess those talks fell apart because Boeing teamed with Raytheon.

I don’t see the point. Brimstone is a Hellfire-sized & shaped missile designed for firing from fast jets. It’s probably more expensive than Hellfire, & for firing from helicopters, I can’t think of any advantages it has.

Is it actually a better anti tank weapon though? There are versions of Hellfire that can be used against non-hardened targets as well. How does it compare range wise? I would think the main concern regarding fitting Brimstone to helicopters would be cost, how does it compare against Hellfire?

I think the Thales LMM is meant to fill at least part of the niche the Americans have been (over)using Hellfire. Smaller, lighter, & should be cheaper.

Damn! Just noticed that it’s in the list in Orkos post.

I hope they do buy Brimstone after the MMW Hellfire’s are used up, I wonder if a laser guided variant of Brimstone could replace standard Hellfire’s too?

Maybe Brimstone could be fitted with the laser guidance fins from the APKWS to make it a dual mode weapon?

APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) thread http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=44890&highlight=APKWS

That would be “interesting”.

APKWS, and in general laser guided 2.75″ rocket concept was developed to get a cost effective yet precision and expandable munition system.

The Longbow cowboys in Iraw fired AGM-114’s to each and every target of opportunity. Given that Hellfire is not a cheap system (100K or more IIRC), I remember US Army issuing an order to limit Hellfire usage because of the rocketed costs. That’s why laser guided rockets became important: A system effective enough to take out a technical or a trench, yet affordable and makes you save the Hellfire’s for higher value targets.

I don’t think a laser guided Hellfire / Brimstone is a good idea. Target spectrum has changed dramatically. I think SAL alone is more suitable for low cost solutions like LMM, DAGR, APKWS II etc.

….Maybe Brimstone could be fitted with the laser guidance fins from the APKWS to make it a dual mode weapon?

APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) thread http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=44890&highlight=APKWS

Looks like a dual mode Brimstone could soon become a reality. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/06/23/224861/mbdas-brimstone-missile-to-enter-raf-combat-duty-with-new.html

The UK might get a dual mode ASM before the USA!!! 😀

I read on another forum that there is no technical reason why the Brimstone couldn’t be fitted to the Apache Longbow, it’s just that the Brits bought a whole bunch of Hellfires at the same time as the helicopters and so don’t want to spend extra replacing them. Maybe after they’re all used up or past their use-by date?

I hope they do buy Brimstone after the MMW Hellfire’s are used up, I wonder if a laser guided variant of Brimstone could replace standard Hellfire’s too?

Maybe Brimstone could be fitted with the laser guidance fins from the APKWS to make it a dual mode weapon?

APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) thread http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=44890&highlight=APKWS

I read on another forum that there is no technical reason why the Brimstone couldn’t be fitted to the Apache Longbow, it’s just that the Brits bought a whole bunch of Hellfires at the same time as the helicopters and so don’t want to spend extra replacing them. Maybe after they’re all used up or past their use-by date?

That harrier is loaded for bear !!!!

So it will work with an Apache. Sounds like it might be money well spent.

They don’t mention it but would it work with the Hawks in its secondary ground attack role ?

If Brimstone is fitted to all our fast jets and helicopters it will be money well spent but I’m not certain this will happen 🙁

Brimstone is suitable for Hawk (see my previous post).

I have read several sources that state that Brimstone was specificaly designed for fast-jet operations. Sometimes even saying “ONLY” for fast-jets. That would imply that it cant not be launched from helicopters. Which contradics the above statement. So which is it? Can Brimstione realy be launched from Helicopters? Does Brimstone have a minimum platform launch speed? Or is the Apache statement just a sales pitch? Can someone clarify this please?

Launch Platforms http://www.mbda.net/site/FO/scripts/siteFO_contenu.php?lang=EN&noeu_id=97

BRIMSTONE has been designed to operate from all fast jets aircraft, such as the Harrier, Tornado, Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16, F/A-18 and Gripen. It is also suitable for operation on light attack aircraft such as the Hawk, F-5 and L-159.

BRIMSTONE is suitable for operational deployment on helicopters, armoured vehicles and ground-based launchers. These launchers can be adapted to carry a mix of both BRIMSTONE and Hellfire missiles. Such a deployment is being offered to the British Army on the TRACER reconnaissance vehicle programme

The first tests of Brimstone were from a fixed ground launcher, Brimstone is basically a Hellfire modified for high speed external carriage so it can be launched from almost any platform. Here is the pic http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/missiles/brimstone/c701363.html

Firing Brimstone
The UK’s newest anti-tank missile
by Michal Fiszer
Jan. 30, 2006
…
The Brimstone is to enter service with units equipped with Tornado GR4, Eurofighter Typhoon (see “Typhoon Arises”), and Harrier GR.9/9A aircraft, as well as WAH-64D Apache helicopters.
…

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I have read several sources that state that Brimstone was specificaly designed for fast-jet operations. Sometimes even saying “ONLY” for fast-jets. That would imply that it cant not be launched from helicopters. Which contradics the above statement. So which is it? Can Brimstione realy be launched from Helicopters? Does Brimstone have a minimum platform launch speed? Or is the Apache statement just a sales pitch? Can someone clarify this please?

/Dan

That harrier is loaded for bear !!!!

So it will work with an Apache. Sounds like it might be money well spent.

They don’t mention it but would it work with the Hawks in its secondary ground attack role ?

Firing Brimstone
The UK’s newest anti-tank missile
by Michal Fiszer
Jan. 30, 2006

The UK Ministry of Defense announced on Jan. 5 that evaluation trials of the Brimstone missile conducted in October 2005 at China Lake, CA, showed positive results and that the Brimstone missile is about to reach full operational capability. It will be the only weapon of its type – an anti-tank missile that can be employed by a fast jet – in the inventories of Western air forces. In addition, Brimstone missiles can be launched in salvos to engage multiple targets in a single pass. Such a capability provides a fast jet with very lethal power against tanks and armored vehicles.

Brimstone history dates back to 1981, when the UK issued a requirement for the development of a more effective air-to-ground weapon against armored force than the BL755 cluster bomb used at that time. The cluster bombs demanded overfly of the attacked armored units, which were at that time protected by numerous short-range systems, such as radar-guided artillery and missile systems of various types. Soviet development of follow-on systems, like the Tunguska combined artillery/missile system and the Tor missile system prompted the NATO armed forces to seek methods of stand-off engagement of Warsaw Pact tanks and armored vehicles. Studies were conducted fruitlessly till the end of the Cold War, but the then-existing technology did not provide solution to the problem. The political changes that occurred in the late ’80s (the end of the Cold War) led to the program’s cancellation in 1990.

The Brimstone will be the only weapon of its type – an anti-tank missile that can be employed by a fast jet – in the inventories of Western air forces. Here, Brimstone missiles equip a RAF Harrier aircraft. MBDA

However, the 1991 Gulf War showed the need for increasing the airpower capabilities in the engagement of ground forces of rogue countries, which could destabilize certain regions of the world (especially the Middle East) and, thus, jeopardize Western economies and trade. Terrorism, at that time, was not high on the list of threats to the security of the Western world, and the aforementioned factors drove the need to maintain capabilities to fight aggressors violating the world’s order. “Precision engagement” and “stand-off engagement” started to be used as the key to providing small, contingency-type air elements with great firepower and to reduce the risk of any losses. Therefore, in 1992 the program for the replacement of the BL755 with a more effective anti-armor system was re-launched. In response to new requirements issued in 1992, five industry proposals were received, including two unpowered glide dispensers, two missile-based weapons, and one hybrid of both technologies.

Some of the proposals concentrated on adding a stand-off capability to cluster-type munitions. Hunting Engineering Ltd (Ampthill, UK; now INSYS) teamed with Daimler-Benz Aerospace (Munich, Germany; now EADS) and proposed a version of Mehrzweckwaffe-2 gliding cluster bomb, based on well known Mehrzweckwaffe-1, which later developed into the DWS-39 (used by the Swedish Air Force on its Gripens) and the DWS-24 (used by the German Air Force on its Tornado aircraft). A similar weapon called Griffin 38, roughly based on the Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW) design (which later eneterd US service) was proposed by Texas Instruments (Dallas, TX; now Raytheon). British Aerospace Dynamics (Stevenage, UK; now part of MBDA) proposed an anti-tank version of its Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) called Typhoon, while Thomson Thorn Missile Electronics Ltd. (Hayes, UK) proposed the TAAWS missile, which was a powered (rocket motor) version of BL755 cluster bomb. And finally, GEC-Marconi Radar and Defense Systems Ltd. (Stanmore, UK) proposed a missile based on the Boeing (Duluth, MN) AGM-114F Hellfire’s body and aerodynamic configuration, with some mechanical redesign and completely new electronic parts.

Experience from the Gulf War showed that cluster-type munitions left behind a lot of unexploded ordnance, which were the cause of numerous post-war accidents involving civilians, which was politically and otherwise unwanted. It was expected that, in the future, the use of cluster bombs would be very restricted, so engaging group-type targets would have to be done some other way. Thus, all of the solutions based on cluster bombs were less desirable. The evaluation of the proposals took place between June 1995 and February 1996, and in the spring of 1996, GEC-Marconi was announced as the winner with its Brimstone missile. The contract for development of the missile was signed by the company and the UK MoD’s Defense Procurement Agency on Nov. 7, 1996.

The Brimstone is to enter service with units equipped with Tornado GR4, Eurofighter Typhoon (seen here), and Harrier GR.9/9A aircraft, as well as WAH-64D Apache helicopters. MBDA

In the late 1990s, some changes in the industrial landscape took place. In 1998, GEC-Marconi Radar and Defence Systems Ltd. and Alenia Difesa from Italy merged to form Alenia Marconi Systems (AMS). A year later GEC sold the entire Marconi Electronic Systems (MES) division to British Aerospace (BAe), and on Nov. 30, 1999, MES and BAe formed BAE Systems, which then owned the 50% share in AMS. In 2001, AMS’s missile-systems division was merged with Aerospatiale Matra Missiles and Matra BAe Dynamics to form MBDA, which has been responsible for the Brimstone program ever since, now running it at the company’s research and development facility in Stevenage, UK.

On Aug. 12, 1999, a Brimstone missile was successfully launched for the first time at the US Army’s Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), AZ, from a ground launcher mounted on a specially constructed platform. This was the first test in a series of ground-based trials, followed by air launches, which got underway in September 2000 from RAF Tornado aircraft. Guided tests were successfully conducted in late 2001 and in 2002. The Brimstone production contract was signed by MBDA in October 2003, and the production of the missile started in Lostock, UK, in 2004. In early 2005, the missile entered service, first issued to the Tornado GR4-equipped No. 31 Squadron RAF at Marham airbase.

The Brimstone missile is similar in appearance to US-made AGM-114 Hellfire. It is 1.8 m long, with a diameter of 178 mm, and it weighs about 50 kg. The Brimstone is powered by a solid-fuel rocket motor that enables it to reach supersonic speed (around Mach 1.3-1.5). The missile’s seeker employs active millimeter-wave radar (around 94 GHz) and has high resolution and accuracy. It generates an image, which is then compared with a library of target images stored in an onboard computer. The library consists of appearance data of specific types of targets (for example, a T-72 rather than just a “typical tank”). After the target is positively recognized, the missile locks-on and carries out the attack. In its normal attack mode, the missile is launched from a distance of up to 8 km from the target, which is designated from the cockpit by a weapons-systems officer (WSO) on a two-seat aircraft or by a pilot on a single-seater. The aircraft’s computer automatically passes on the grid position of the target, and the fired missile is guided by an inertial-navigation system and autopilot to the designated area. At a certain point, the radar seeker starts searching for the target, and once it locks on, the seeker takes over the missile guidance. During the search phase of the engagement, the Brimstone’s seeker performs a comprehensive sweep on the ground directly ahead and to each side, searching for targets in its path. The seeker constantly monitors the received radar signal, comparing it to a known target signature in its memory. It automatically rejects returns that don’t match (i.e., cars, buses, buildings, etc.) and continues searching and comparing until it identifies a valid target.

The missile can be programmed not to search for targets until it reaches a given point, allowing it to overfly friendly forces safely. It can also be programmed to stop searching beyond the safe engagement area or to only accept a target in a certain area, thereby providing collateral-damage control. The missile’s guidance and homing system enables very precise hit, and its tandem high-explosive warhead can destroy any known tank or other armored vehicle according to MBDA.

The Brimstone missile is carried on a triple launcher and has the unique ability to be fired in salvos against multiple targets. The role of the pilot or WSO is to point to targets on his screen, which shows the picture from the aircraft’s electro-optical systems (onboard or on a targeting pod). The aircraft’s avionics provide the Brimstone missiles with approximate coordinates of the designated targets, and the missiles are allocated to different points within the search area, separate from each other. After launching in salvo, the missiles fly on separate paths towards the target and search the area for the detected (or suspected) targets, so the probability that two or more missiles might hit the same target (for example, one already destroyed by a previous missile) is minimal. The missiles are directed to their targets only when their seekers positively recognize the objects as hostile vehicles.

During the tests conducted in October 2005 at the China Lake range in California, the missiles were fired against a wide range of different target types, including T-72 and M60 main battle tanks, self-propelled guns, and armored personnel carriers. During these tests, target designation was performed with both head-up displays (i.e., the targets were visually recognized by pilots) and Thermal Imaging Airborne Laser Designator (TIALDs). The missiles were fired in sequences of single missiles, so-called “single-weapon mode,” which is a salvo of three missiles – the load of a single launcher – and in “two-weapon mode,” which is a salvo of six missiles. Of the 31 missiles fired, 30 hit their targets. The official assessment by the UK MoD confirmed the tremendous 96% hit capability, albeit achieved under range conditions (real combat conditions usually show lower hit capabilities for virtually all of the world’s weapon types).

The Brimstone is to enter service with units equipped with Tornado GR4, Eurofighter Typhoon (see “Typhoon Arises”), and Harrier GR.9/9A aircraft, as well as WAH-64D Apache helicopters. The UK is currently the sole user of the system. However, while other countries may not currently appreciate the ability to effectively engage armored forces, the possibility of a military encounter with countries such as Iran or North Korea could bring back the demands for such a capability.

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i’ve always wondered – what is the difference between AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire and Brimstone? in terms of their MMW seekers, and modes of operation.

it’s clear that AGM-114L’s seeker is less capable that Brimstone’s, but how exactly is “less capable”?

do these missiles work with active homing with their internal MMW radars, like AIM-120? looking for a radar image that looks like a tank, and then homing in on it?

or does AGM-114L use a SARH system where it relies on the Longbow radar for guidance and therefore can only be used from Longbow attack choppers? whereas Brimstone can be used from most platforms.

Does anyone know if the British Army’s Apache’s will be fitted with Brimstone?

No it isn’t. Only Hellfire K and L models.

🙂 sorry Scott, I failed to make the connection. Interesting pic, do you have any others of similar weapons?

Most of the obscure ones I had I sent to Andreas Parche. I can’t tell you how much I wish I’d have hung on to a lot of the stuff I’ve thrown out over the years. I’ve got most of my books but I’ve thrown out a LOT of magazines over the years. One pic I wish I’d hung on to was of an A-7 Corsair II launching an ASALM test vehicle. That appeared in an issue of Air Force Magazine in the early 80’s.

Steve: go to http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/netfires.html

They are small missiles, about the same size class as Hellfire, but with a reasonable range – small warhead, but packing a reasonable punch. There are two versions:

PAM: Precision Attack Missile, basically similar in concept to the Hellfire, but with a range of ~40km.
LAM: Loitering Attack Missile, basically a very small cruise missile, with a projected range in the ~200km class. (Admittedly, with quite a small warhead, similar to the TOW missile).

The point is that a JSF might even be able to carry four of these pods, which would allow a single JSF to carry 48 small missiles! They would be sufficient to destroy vehicles, and perhaps SAM sites, which would bring a whole new concept of SEAD missions. You could either carry a mixture, or fly the first few missions of a conflict with LAMs, then switch to the more potent PAMs once things calm down a little.

Just a thought, but if you compare the dimensions of the AGM-124 and the new Netfires missiles (PAM and LAM), they are very close. Just think if they brought back the dispenser pod, and filled them with Netfires missiles – the A-10 was to be capable of carrying at least four, maybe even six of the pods – it would allows strike aircraft to pack a massive punch! A JSF might be able to carry four pods, allowing 48 missiles!

Nice idea, what do the Netfires missiles look like?

You left out this part:

“Photo: via Scott Ferrin
AGM-124A and launch pod “

😀

🙂 sorry Scott, I failed to make the connection. Interesting pic, do you have any others of similar weapons?

Just a thought, but if you compare the dimensions of the AGM-124 and the new Netfires missiles (PAM and LAM), they are very close. Just think if they brought back the dispenser pod, and filled them with Netfires missiles – the A-10 was to be capable of carrying at least four, maybe even six of the pods – it would allows strike aircraft to pack a massive punch! A JSF might be able to carry four pods, allowing 48 missiles!