Douglas Barrie/LONDON

THE GERMAN AIR FORCE is reviewing its commitment to the Matra Apache as the basis for its stand-off-missile requirements, and has informed the UK Ministry of Defence that it is likely to procure a variant of the Daimler-Benz/Bofors KEPD-350 missile now being offered in a Royal Air Force competition.

A senior Bonn procurement official is due to visit London shortly, to discuss with his UK counterpart a memorandum of understanding covering joint procurement and development of the missile, should it be selected by the UK MoD.

The KEPD-350 is being offered to meet the UK's requirement for a conventional stand-off missile. One perceived problem, however, is that it was not being supported by a German air force procurement.

DASA officials claim that the air force's procurement priority is moving away from the Apache anti-runway system towards a long-range precision-strike weapon.

While the air force may still procure the Apache for the anti-runway requirement, it does not view the Apache airframe as the delivery vehicle to meet other needs, say DASA sources.

Robert Staudacher, a director of LFK, the DASA missile unit, says: "It is most probable that, if the UK chooses KEPD-350, then the German air force will follow." The MoD is particularly interested in "option one rather than the baseline weapon" proposed by DASA and Bofors, which offers a range of more than 600km (325nm).

DASA has also made it clear to the UK MoD and the Department of Trade and Industry that, should it win the competition, it would seek to include British Aerospace and GEC-Marconi in the programme, says Staudacher.

The KEPD-350 uses a 6.6kN (1,500lb)-thrust Williams P8300 engine and an imaging infra-red seeker developed by German seeker house BGT in conjunction with LFK. The I2R seeker was originally developed for the Polyphem fibre-optic-cable-guided missile.

LFK and Hunting are offering the UK MoD a rocket-powered variant of the SWAARM 2000 submunitions dispenser as an option in its bid to meet the RAF's air-launched anti-armour weapon.

The powered variant of the SWAARM 2000, based on the DWS39 dispenser, would use a Bayern Chemie solid-rocket motor, giving it a range of more than 50km. The two companies have announced a joint venture to address export opportunities should the SWAARM 2000 be selected.

Source: Flight International