Hopefully they'll get some traction on this. They've been developing the linear rocket motors for about 10 years now. Looks like the work has moved forward with floor systems. Plus some work on aerial systems as well. It's a great idea, has been given development money by UK government and US govern...

Just to clarify my understanding the JSM is too long to fit into the shorter F-35B weapons bay and will require external carriage degrading its stealth capabilities plus to be effective assume it will need Block 4 a/c with the upgraded AN/APG-81 radar capable of wide area surface search by 'big SAR...

As an aside, I haven't seen any mention of LRASM being incorporated with a box launcher for a while. Anyone know if that is still the plan now that up-arming the LCS is out of favour? There is a version of the Mk41 that is deck mounted at around 45 degrees from the vertical, in the developmental st...

Is there any suggestion of the types of missiles carried by U.A.V.s accompanying aircraft ? Not at present. Most of the proposed Loyal Wingmen haven't shown their cards on armament. The Australian Boeing one for example appears to be unarmed with the focus on ISTAR. The Kratos Valkyrie has the abil...

True but if the UK goes down the route of the triple pack for Typhoon, I think it unlikely they will not add that to F-35 as well. Time will tell. MBDA do seem to be pushing their racks. I suspect we'll go with Triples on Typhoon and Cobham BRU-61 Quad's internally in the F-35, then see if the US p...

Thanks Xav, in particular for this section... "According to official sources, the Harpoon system is due to go out of service (OSD) in December 2023. It is installed on 13 (thirteen) Type 23 frigates, 3 (three) Type 45 destroyers and 3 (three) land-based reference systems. The new support contra...

Block 4 F-35Bs with capability of carrying ASRAAM CSM, Meteor and Spear 3, only 13 a/c? My understanding of UK contracts and future buy at current time LRIP - Number lot 3 ---- 2 4 ---- 1 7 ---- 1 8 ---- 4 9 ---- 6 10 ---- 3 11 ---- 2 12 ---- 2 13 ---- 6 14 ---- 8 15 ---- 7 16 ---- 6 Total -- 48 Un...

They will carry 8 Spear 3's plus 2 Meteors internally plus more Spear 3's on underwing pylons if required. Truth is we don't know. Nothing has ever been said about external carriage of Spear. I think a lot will depend on if the US decides to attach BRU-61's on the inner and mid pylons for SDB1, SDB...

BlueD954 wrote:What is CSM?

He means CSP (Capability Sustainment Programme). Essentially its ASRAAM Mk.2. New seeker head and other improvements ported over from CAMM. Totally new production to replace the UK's stocks of legacy ASRAAM.

seaspear wrote:interesting if used by helicopters forces

Spear would need alteration to be used by helicopters. It would need a booster rocket to bring it to a speed where the jet could function.
This is also the reason why Kongsberg proposes the NSM not the JSM for helicopter use.

Thanks for your clarification. You'll struggle to get a cost for integration as there is money being spent with MBDA direct (see below). These will relate to changes to the missile to make them fit and some integration. https://defense-update.com/20170421_f35_meteor.html And then there are contract...

NickC wrote:What did surprise me if the figures correct was the high cost of integrating Spear 3 with the F-35B at £411 million.

That was the design and development costs for Spear, not integration.

I wonder which one, APS or EFP (like the ones carried by Bonus) will outrange the other? - add the mentioned fact that the APS sensors typically do not look straight up Depends on the munition used to defeat the threat. If its blast based EFP will outrange, if its a more advanced mortar or missile ...

Can SPEAR3 really damage both ships and armoured vehicles? Naturally the armour of a warship is different from a land vehicle. Very few ship have armour these days, and certainly not enough to resist the size of warhead a Spear will carry. For armoured vehicles you have to remember that it will be ...

Can SPEAR3 really damage both ships and armoured vehicles? Naturally the armour of a warship is different from a land vehicle. Very few ship have armour these days, and certainly not enough to resist the size of warhead a Spear will carry. For armoured vehicles you have to remember that it will be ...

Would a weapon that targets instead the radar systems like the AARGM-ER be also of use https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-wing ... avy%20(USN)%20recently,enemy%20radar%20and%20communications%20systems.&text=The%20warhead%20was%20also%20tested,lethality% I did note that there is the future devel...

QUOTE not working? Quoting from above: other payload that I could imagine would be useful on the comparatively small Spear body would be a small E/O payload as a disposable recon UAV that you could fire ahead into a high threat area for a look 'over the hill'. Could be very useful particularly for ...

If it takes 7 years, how about buying JSM now? JSM is in production and can be carried underwing of F35, as I understand? SPEAR3 and JSM is in different class, so they can go along with after SPEAR3 introduction. JSM MIGHT have some overlap with FCASW, but it all depends on FCASW specification. As ...

I imagine that if shit really hit the fan and there was an operational requirement for them they'd be integrated in weeks(?) Not a hope I'm afraid. Spear will only be doing guided trials over the next 2 years, and thats from Typhoon. Won't be ready for operational service until at least 2023/4. Int...

Lord Jim wrote:I wonder, could the Apache E act as a forward controller for "Loyal Wingmen" conducting CAS sorties, have the latter fly into a control zone and then have the Guardians influence/control their actions.

Thats exactly what its designed to do.

BlueD954 wrote:So SPEAR Glide is like a glider?

It will look exactly like Spear, same wings, but no engine. Range of about 60 miles against a fixed target (dependent on release altitude and speed).

With the target tonnage range of the Sea Venom, let’s hope we only fight foes with very small ships... To be honest receiving 8 hits from Spear would put most warships out of action, won't sink them (unless fire gets them). But they're not going to be mission capable. It's not an ideal position to ...

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/550m-f-35-missile-contract-signed I thought it was signed before but here it is SPEAR 3 contract. Development contracts and integration to F-35 signed previously, and Spear-EW demonstration contract. No news on SpearGlide yet. What is SPEARGlide? SpearGlide was me...

Genuinely shocked that this wasn't already on P-8...

Hopefully the RAF will be looking to integrate our own towed decoys (of which there will soon be some spare sets from Sentinel...)

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... a-poseidon

Are the Norwegians fitting NSM to their P-8s by any chance? JSM not NSM You'd assume so, but the Australians were the ones who were driving it a number of years ago. And they've been ominously quiet recently over it, they've have ordered LRASM for their F/A-18E/F fleet in the meantime. Despite the ...