IRIS-T Combat ASRAAM on Swiss F/A-18 Missiles Program

Development of BGT Bodenseewerk's new IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missile is progressing, with the fourth free flight test program completed in April. The missile has been fired from the F-4F, F-16, and JAS-39, with further testing planned for launch from F/A-18, Tornado, AMX and Eurofighter.

The IRIS-T program is managed by a six-nation consortium formed in 1998 by Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway and Sweden, and headed by Germany's BGT. The program is on schedule and budget. Production could start next year following the pending signature of a production MoU negotiated with participating governments.

IRIS-T is currently competing with the British ASRAAM to equip the Swiss Air Force's F/A-18s. South Africa, Finland, and Spain are also evaluating the new missile. First deliveries to consortium members are planned for the end of 2003, and from 2004 for export customers. BGT forecasts initial production of 4,000 missiles.

Although BGT has extensive experience with the AIM-9, IRIS-T was designed as a new generation missile, taking advantage of the unique performance offered by superior kinematics and advanced seeker technology. Installation compatibility is the only AIM-9 legacy.

IRIS-T is designed to operate at all aspects, following pilot line-of-sight or cueing signals from target acquisition systems such as radar, infra-red search and track, or threat warning devices. A unique feature is its ability to deploy in "lock-on-after-launch" mode, usually common in medium-range, air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles.

IRIS-T's exceptional maneuverability enables pilots to shoot at targets flying behind, or in very tight maneuvers, where the aircraft cannot acquire the target. The flight control system, integrating rocket thrust vectoring and aerodynamic control surfaces, facilitates extreme directional and attitude changes, even at low velocities and high angles of attack. Recent tests have demonstrated the missile's controls, handling loops under severe conditions up to its g and angle of attack limits.

According to Rudolf Meller, strategic marketing manager at BGT, the missile is equipped with an advanced stabilized seeker, which consists of a 128 x 128 scanning array. Due to its wide field of view, its scanning operation, and advanced ECCM, this seeker is less susceptible to deception than "staring" arrays. The seeker is equipped with a large target library that includes all known military aircraft, viewed from different angles. Each target has eight focus points. The radar proximity fuze is programmed to activate at specific points, determined by the type of aircraft, so that the missile is directed at its most vulnerable areas.

By Tamir Eshel