The UK Ministry of Defence is considering buying a supersonic ballistic target system for the Royal Navy to simulate the threat from Russian high speed anti-ship missiles. The MoD is inviting expressions of interest from suppliers by the end of April.
The target system must be able to approach at high speed and from a variety of altitudes, with particular emphasis on high dive angles. The system needs to be suitable for land or sea use and has to have the ability to be augmented in radio frequency or infrared bands, as well as providing miss-distance indication. The ministry is also looking for "a target service to provide the capability".
The requirement is similar to a US Navy programme to acquire a supersonic missile target, which was won originally by Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas) in partnership with Russian manufacturer Zvezda-Strela, using the MA-31 target based on Zvezda's Kh-31A (AS-17 Krypton)anti-ship missile. Although Boeing tested a batch of six MA-31s, and wished to acquire more, the Russian defence ministry blocked the deal. The US Navy has also attempted to acquire another Russian anti-ship missile, the Raduga 3M80 Moskit, widely regarded as the most lethal anti-ship missile fielded by a non-NATO nation.
The 3M80E and Kh-31A are supersonic weapons capable of sea-skimming attacks with terminal manouevering flight to evade defences, as well as variable angles of terminal approach. The weapons are starting to reach the export market, with China and India known to have acquired weapons of this class.
The US Navy is considering other systems, including the AlliedSignal Vandal derivative of the surplus naval surface-to-air missile. A full-scale 30-month development programme is close to being awarded.
Source: Flight International