Hughes is pushing the attractions of a transatlantic procurement programme to the UK Ministry of Defence as part of its bid to win a competition to develop an extended-range active-radar-guided missile for the Royal Air Force.
Although the US Air Force (USAF) has no requirement for a missile with an engagement envelope greater than that of the in-service Hughes AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, senior company executives are convinced that the emergence of such a programme is only a matter of time.
Hughes is offering a liquid-fuel rocket ramjet-powered derivative of the AMRAAM, the Future Medium Air-to-Air Missile (FMRAAM). It is competing with BAe, which is leading a European consortium offering the ramjet-powered Meteor missile.
Both proposals are built around ramjet propulsion to meet the RAF's requirement for "no-escape zone" considerably greater than that of the AIM-120.
Although no detailed performance requirements have been released, the RAF is believed to be looking for a missile capable of defeating a 9G manoeuvring target at ranges of more than 55km (30nm).
Hughes has teamed with Aerospatiale for the power plant on the FMRAAM. The direct-injection liquid-fuel ramjet design uses an elastomer bladder to control fuel flow into the burn chamber. Shorts and Thomson-Thorn are also part of the US missile bid.
Aerospatiale argues that its approach offers lower production costs than those offered, by using a regulated liquid ramjet. It also considers that the direct-injection design offers the least degradation in performance.
The RAF requirement is viewed, as critical by Hughes and Bae, as selection will heavily influence several follow-on European procurements. France, Germany and Sweden are in varying stages of formulating requirements for an extended-range AAM.
Source: Flight International