Dual-use Missiles

[Riksbar]

In the mid 1990s British Aerospace offered a version ASRAAM for the competition eventually won by Brimstone. The missile used the ASRAAM airframe, and seeker with the anti-armour shaped charge warhead from Long-range Trigat coupled with a shorter solid rocket motor.  The imaging IR seeker gave anti-tank capability but the software for air-to-air was retained making it a true dual use missile.    It was reckoned that even with the smaller motor it had the same range as AIM-9L in air-to-air mode.  The missile was named Typhoon on homage to the WWII tankbuster.

[dy031101]

Is there a missile launcher compact enough to be mounted ad hoc on top of a requisitioned civilian vehicle without adding too much height to it?

I probably won't be asking for a strictly dual-purpose missile on this one...... just a launcher that could accommodate both MANPADS and ATGM rounds as needed.

[Hobbes]

I don't think so; even small SAMS like Barak and Sea Wolf are nearly 2 m long. Hellfire is a bit shorter at 1.6 m. Diameter is ca 20 cm. It's conceivable you can create a low-profile turret that isn't higher than the diameter of one missile. But you still have a lot of weight on top of a vehicle; you'd need a truck to mount this on. You'd also need space for the director.

For a good example of a compact launcher, look at Rapier.

You may be better off with a VLS solution that can be mounted on the back end of a vehicle.

[Cobra]

What About something like a Twin Missile? like 2 Missiles mated together that Seperate to hot 2 Targets @ once? Would that work for a Dual-use Missile? just something i've Thought about. Dan

[Hobbes]

Nah, you'd almost always waste one missile with that approach. It's not often that two targets present themselves at the same time.

[dy031101]

I was thinking of settling with the likes of Starstreaks, Stinger or Mistral for SAMs.

But then if I dropped the SAM requirement...... maybe just Mini-Samson with Spike ER would do  

[ChernayaAkula]

Is there a missile launcher compact enough to be mounted ad hoc on top of a requisitioned civilian vehicle without adding too much height to it? <...>

Maybe something like the quad HOT launcher of the VAB Mephisto?

Even when deployed, it's not that high.



Becomes almost invisible when stowed.

[Mossie]

I remember an interview with an Apache pilot talking about anti fast-jet tactics.  They'd turn into the jet & lob a Hellfire in their general direction, then head for ground as quickly as possible.  The general idea behind turning in was to reduce the jets reaction time & get "within their reach".  The Hellfire would give them a bit of a brown trouser moment & make them break off for long enough to allow the Apache to evade.  There was a chance of a hit, if not a huge one, so I guess the Hellfire has a (very) secondary role as an AAM!

[dy031101]

Maybe something like the quad HOT launcher of the VAB Mephisto?

Interesting   ...... how much of an internal space does the gunner's controls (excluding the ammo magazine) occupy?

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I remember a test launch of Hellfire missiles from Chaparral launcher.  Some took it as an indication of testing the Hellfire as a SAM.

I was unable to locate a picture of the test but did find this:

[Fulcrum]

I remember an interview with an Apache pilot talking about anti fast-jet tactics.  They'd turn into the jet & lob a Hellfire in their general direction, then head for ground as quickly as possible.  The general idea behind turning in was to reduce the jets reaction time & get "within their reach".  The Hellfire would give them a bit of a brown trouser moment & make them break off for long enough to allow the Apache to evade.  There was a chance of a hit, if not a huge one, so I guess the Hellfire has a (very) secondary role as an AAM!

I think there was an incident when the Israeli AH-64's had to intercept a Lebanese civilian plane that was flying over the border. Unfortunatly for the Lebanese pilot, the Israelis decided to shoot him down with a Hellfire missile from one of the intercepting Apaches.
Helicopter Gunships could be used to intercept slow, low-flying cessnas(in fact, the Russians started to test R-60's on their Hinds after that incident where a cessna landed on Red square in Moscow after flying in undetected from Finland.).

[GTX]

Some more on the dual role air dominance missile (DRADM) - see here.

Regards,

Greg

[Fulcrum]

Interesting concept, thanks for posting!!!

[ChernayaAkula]

Some more on the dual role air dominance missile (DRADM) - see here.

Awww, shucks! They nicked that layout straight from my head. That's how I wanted to make AIM-120E Evolved-AMRAAMs!