Andzjej Jeziorski/MUNICH GrahamWarwick/WASHINGTON DC

Raytheon TI Systems (RTIS) and Bodenseewerk Gerätetechnik (BGT) are exploring co-operation on future anti-radar missile developments, as Germany and Italy prepare to sign up with the USA for a joint upgrade of the AGM-88 high-speed anti-radiation missile (HARM).

The two European countries will soon join the USA in signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to proceed with the HARM Precision Navigation Upgrade (PNU), known in the USA as HARM Block 6.

The programme raises a questionmark over the future of the German anti-radiation missile, intelligent guidance/extended range (ARMIGER) programme, for which project BGT is still seeking a partner.

The ARMIGER programme is a follow-on to the Franco-German ARAMIS anti-radiation missile project. The French withdrew from the programme because of funding constraints.

According to sources close to the ARMIGER programme, this may be solved by merging BGT's developments for the ARMIGER with RTIS plans for future HARM upgrades, or jointly developing a lighter follow-on missile with a dual-mode seeker.

A new missile could take advantage of BGT's expertise in infra-red seekers, and RTIS' experience in passive radar seekers to develop the new seeker, which would give better accuracy than the HARM PNU and would be more affective against mobile targets.

Germany could also offer ramrocket motor technology, which is being developed for the ARMIGER and the Meteor medium-range air-to-air missile by Bayern-Chemie.

Mike Molohon, deputy manager of the international HARM programme at RTIS, says that the USA is already evaluating further AGM-88 upgrades, including seeker, warhead and powerplant improvements, and the possibility of fitting a ramrocket motor.

Programme sources, however, say that the German industry still feels that the longer-term trend will be towards a lighter ARMIGER-type missile with a smaller warhead, entailing less risk of collateral damage in theatres with restrictive rules of engagement.

Molohon says that the USA has already signed the HARM Block 6 MoU. The document has been agreed in principle by all three countries, and Germany and Italy are expected to sign by the end of January 1998.

The upgrade involves the installation of a global-positioning system (GPS) receiver and an inertial measurement unit into the missile. This allows it to memorise the position of a target which has stopped emitting, eliminating the danger of fratricide as the missile seeks a new target, and increasing the probability of a kill.

Molohon says that the USA hopes to keep the HARM PNU missiles in service until 2020 - a date also suggested in Germany, but unconfirmed by the Bonn defence ministry. BGT had initially hoped to propose the ARMIGER as a HARM successor from 2005.

The programme calls for the upgrade of 1,000 missiles each in Germany and the USA, and 350 in Italy. The $100 million-plus cost will be shared equally .

BGT will be the lead German contractor in the upgrade, while Alenia will head the Italian part of the programme. o

Source: Flight International