With the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD) decision effectively to defer its choice of medium-range air-to-air missile (MRAAM), opting instead for two 12-month studies, Hughes (chalet 273/B) and Matra BAe Dynamics (2/A20, B20 chalet 198B/B) will use Le Bourget to set out their respective stalls. At stake is not just a UK requirement for 800-1,200 missiles : several other European nations (France, Germany, Sweden and Italy) are examining the requirement for a next-generation beyond-visual-range weapon.

The industrial, as well as operational, importance of the MRAAM contract, or Staff Requirement (Air) 1239, should not be under-estimated. In the same way that France argued successfully that the Matra/British Aerospace missiles tie-up needed to be hung on a significant procurement project (the winning Apache-derived Storm Shadow bid for the Royal Air Force's stand-off missile requirement) so it will be argued for the RAF's MRAAM programme.

The political argument is that awarding SR(A)1239 to the Matra BAe Dynamics-led Meteor team will add additional impetus to rationalising Europe's guided-weapons manufacturing sector. Alenia, Saab (2/D20 chalet 38/A) and Daimler-Benz's (2/E19) missile unit LFK and propulsion specialist Bayern Chemie (2/F4), as well as Thomson-CSF (chalet 194B/B) and GEC-Marconi (chalet 290/C) are all members of the Meteor team. More than one of these missile-associated business units would be merged with Matra BAe Dynamics if Meteor were to win.

For Hughes, the end-game is relatively simple - win in the UK and establish a de facto monopoly in the extended-range, active-radar guided-missile market, at least for Europe and the USA. With its AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), it is already in a commanding position. BAe's Active Skyflash programme has fizzled out, while the Matra BAe Dynamics active-radar variant of the Mica will almost certainly be restricted to the Dassault Mirage 2000 and Rafale.

A probable point of debate is whether the 12-month delay in the UK competition benefits one or other of the competitors, or if its effect is neutral. The extra time will allow the Meteor team to flesh out its proposal and address those critical technical areas which could cause concern to the MoD. It also brings that much closer the projected operational service date of the Eurofighter EF2000 - potentially placing even greater timescale pressures on Meteor's ambitious development and test programme.

The EF2000 is scheduled to be in service around 2004-5. Even before the 12-month study awards, Meteor team members admitted that the 2004-5 date was challenging, although not impossible.

Hughes has no such difficulty in meeting target dates because it is offering the RAF an upgrade path from the AIM-120 to its Future Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (FMRAAM) proposal. The EF2000 could enter service initially with the latest model of the AMRAAM available, and then upgrade it to the FMRAAM when the MoD and the manufacturer agree.

Hughes, which is to be acquired by Raytheon (chalet 55/A), undoubtedly will also use the 12-month grace period to try and talk up the potential for a transatlantic collaborative programme. The US Navy has on the books a requirement, albeit unfunded, for a Hughes AIM-54 Phoenix replacement - while the US Air Force is also looking for an extended-range missile with a greater kinematic envelope than that of the basic AIM-120.

The ability to plug into a large US procurement would, were it to emerge, prove a considerable attraction to the UK MoD. The Meteor team will use the technology-releasability argument to counter this.

Matra BAe's Meteor team and Hughes are not the only missile-design houses working on rocket-ramjet AAM designs. South Africa's Kentron and Russian air-to-air weapons specialist Vympel are also looking at similar extended-range weaponry. The Israel defence ministry's own missile-research-and-development house Rafael is also looking at ramjet propulsion.

There will be much interest in what Vympel brings to the show. A question mark continues to hang over the status of establishing a production line for the R-77 (AA-12 Adder). The Russian missile specialist has also developed a rocket-ramjet variant of the weapon - part of the threat driving the UK's MRAAM requirement - but it is uncertain whether development of this project is continuing.

While still battling it out with Matra BAe Dynamics for the UK's MRAAM programme, Hughes will be showing its winner for the US Navy/Air Force AIM-9X Sidewinder replacement competition, the Evolved Sidewinder. It will be looking to entice European AIM-9 users toward this project rather than the Bodensee Geratetechnik-led (chalet 2/C21) IRIS-T programme.

The IRIS-T team, encompassing a raft of European AIM-9 users, has just completed a further design iteration of the proposed missile, removing the flared-out rear-fuselage section housing the thrust-vector controls to achieve a constant diameter body. In many ways, the Evolved Sidewinder was the least favourable AIM-9X solution to the IRIS-T team, which has been presenting its missile as an affordable upgrade from the basic AIM-9.

Israel and South Africa will also bring within-visual-range missiles for their debuts at the show. Rafael's infra-red-guided Python 4 high-agility dogÌght missile will be on display, while Kentron intends to show its design for the A-Darter, the eventual replacement for the Darter/U-Darter short-range weapons.

Rafael will hope that its export successes achieved with its Python 3 will continue with the Python 4, including sales to South Africa. At least two foreign customers are believed to have already signed up for the missile.

It remains to be seen whether Vympel will reveal any further details of the upgrade to the R-73 (AA-11 Archer), thought to be in the later stages of development, or indeed of its follow-on project, details of which remain scant.

The show may also provide another opportunity to look at several Chinese air-to-air missile projects under way, many of which are surrounded by numerous questions.

In the air-to-surface environment, Matra BAe will be looking to build on its success in the UK with the Storm Shadow. Daimler-Benz Aerospace's strategic decision to place its LFK missile unit in the Matra BAe camp raises the stakes in the German and Swedish air force stand-off weapon requirements.

LFK has been pushing the KEPD-350, or the Taurus, for the German air force. Earlier attempts to harmonise the Anglo-French and German projects have failed.

Another project likely to attract interest at Le Bourget is Kongsberg's work on a next-generation anti-ship missile for the Norwegian armed forces. Matra BAe Dynamics is already discussing some form of involvement - and there are opportunities for a collaborative programme. In the UK, the Royal Navy has begun to consider an air-launched, anti-ship weapon for its EH Industries EH101 Merlin maritime helicopter. Although Kongsberg is focusing on a ship-launched missile, it will also look to the development of an air-launched variant.

Alongside this anti-ship weapon, there will also be some interest in the future, if any, for the Franco-German, anti-navaire supersonique (ANS) missile. This is a long-running project between LFK and Aerospatiale (2/A18, C5, D4, D5, 64B/B, 15A/A, 19A/A) although relationships between these two erstwhile collaborators are not cordial.

McDonnell Douglas (chalet 45/A) will be majoring on its Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) programme, now in development. The UK, for one, is looking for an improved guided-bomb capability - in the short term it needs a bolt-on kit, and in the longer term it will require a new autonomous stand-off bomb. Several other European air forces, including that of France, have similar requirements. Aerospatiale has been looking at developing a modular boosted-bomb family in addressing, initially, the French air force requirement.

It remains to be seen whether Russian air-to-surface design houses Raduga or Zvezda (5/B2) will spring any surprises at the show. Certainly, both continue to work on projects of interest. Raduga is believed to be developing the Kh-101 and Kh-SD conventional cruise-missile project for the Russians, although a Paris debut for either of these seems unlikely.

Zvezda Strela is likely to use the show as an opportunity to push for exports on the Kh-31A/P AS-17 (Krypton) anti-ship and anti-radar missiles.

Source: Flight International