FARNBOROUGH: Thales on-track with lightweight missile development

Thales is on track to deliver its first lightweight multi-role missile (LMM) in the first quarter of 2012, ahead of the low-cost design's planned integration with the UK Royal Navy's AgustaWestland Lynx Wildcat helicopter.

David Beatty, managing director of Thales in Belfast, Ireland, says the company expects to complete development work on the LMM during 2011, with early flight trials to be conducted from this year.

The 13kg (28lb) weapon, which is also being offered for carriage by unmanned air vehicles, has a planned maximum range of 3.2-4.3nm (6-8km). Successful trials have already been conducted with the design's 3kg blast/fragmentation warhead.

Parallel development work is being performed on missile versions using beam-riding and semi-active laser guidance but, in future, cheaper techniques such as GPS or terminal guidance systems could be incorporated, says Beatty.

"Today, 50% of a missile's price is its seeker. There's got to be a technology space where we can come up with something lower cost."

Thales says the LMM will cost around 60-70% less than a Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missile.

The weapon is due to arm the navy's Lynx Wildcat fleet as it reaches its in-service date in 2015.