South Africa's Denel has unveiled a new radar-guided version of its Umkhonto naval surface-to-air missile (SAM), ahead of an expected Chilean navy request for proposals for weapons to equip its planned Tridente-class frigates.
The Umkhonto-R is being developed using a combination of company resources and South African National Defence Force funding for a technology demonstration programme.
The missile is being proposed as an extended-range version of the infrared-guided Umkhonto-IR on order for the South African Navy.
Installation of the radar seeker in a newly designed smaller nose cone will increase the Umkhonto's 10km (6 mile) range by around 30%. This would be extended to 25km by the addition of an expendable aft booster, incorporating the current missile's thrust vectoring control used during the initial vertical launch (VL) phase of flight.
Umkhonto-R would retain the existing datalink for mid-course updates but, with a fully active radar, would be able to lock-on to a target much earlier than the IR version. Denel is looking at three radar seeker options, including an adaptation of the current active-guided beyond-visual-range unit used on its R-Darter air-to-air missile, developing an all-new seeker or purchasing a foreign off-the-shelf system.
The seeker and booster are intended to be fully compatible for later retrofit to the Umkhonto-IR. The South African Navy's four German-designed Meko-class warships will begin entering service from 2005 fitted with 16 VL missile launchers.
Chile is understood to have selected a similar version of the warship as its planned Tridente replacement for its ageing UK-built destroyers and frigates, which are equipped with the Rafael Barak VL missile.
It has already issued a request for information for a range of weapons to equip the navy's new ships, which could eventually number up to 12 units.
Source: Flight International