Douglas Barrie/LONDON
Kentron, South Africa's leading missile manufacturer, is offering unpowered and powered versions of its still classified Raptor precision guided weapon for export. Details have been seen by Flight International.
Development of the stand-off weapons family, the export of which remains a sensitive issue in South Africa, has been under way for two decades. Kentron declines to comment on the project.
The Raptor 1, thought to be known internally within the South African Air Force (SAAF) as H2, is a television-guided glide bomb with a range of around 60km (32nm). The weapon, believed to have been used operationally, is a development of the H1- a TV-guided bomb which was effectively a technology testbed.
Development of the Raptor 1 began in the late 1970s and it is believed to have entered operational service no later than the mid-1980s on the SAAF's Dassault Mirage F1.The weapon was carried on an inboard wing station on the F1, with the datalink pod carried on the other inboard wing station. On SAAF Cheetah aircraft, the weapon is carried on the centre-line pylon.
In the late 1980s, Kentron also began to work on an extended range version of the basic glide bomb, the H3, which has more than double the launch envelope of the H2. The H3 appears to have been a development for what is referred to for export as the Raptor 2.
The Raptor 2 is being offered with TV and infra-red seekers. An accuracy of a 3m centre of error probability is given for the weapon. An anti-radiation seeker is also being offered as an alternative guidance option to allow the weapon to be used in the suppression of enemy air defences.
The range improvement is derived from a solid fuel motor pack attached to the underside of the guided weapon. The Raptor 2 can be fitted with both fragmentation and penetration warheads. Navigation for the weapon is provided either by the global positioning system or by way point updates.
Kentron is also continuing to receive limited SAAF funding for the MUPSOW long-range stand-off missile. The propulsion unit from the MUPSOW is also being used by GEC-Marconi in its bid to provide the United Arab Emirates with a stand-off weapon, the PGM-4, or the Centaur.
Source: Flight International
