On 22nd May 2007, MBDA conducted the first live test firing in the U.K. of the six-nation Meteor air dominance missile. The event happend on the QinetiQ-managed U.K. Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Hebrides missile firing range.
The High Altitude Control and Dispersion (C&D) firing was conducted from a Saab Gripen fighter aircraft. This firing is yet another milestone in the European multinational Meteor project and follows on from the lower altitude Air Launched Demonstrator firings conducted in 2006 and a series of seeker data gathering trials completed in early 2007.
Carried out by MBDA in line with the requirements of the Meteor development programme, the purpose of the C&D firing was to test the performance of the missile’s integrated boost, ramjet sustain motor and control systems during high altitude supersonic launch, extended free flight and extensive manoeuvres.
The Meteor was rail-launched from the Gripen aircraft flying supersonic at an altitude of 42,650ft (13 km). After a couple of seconds in the boost phase, Meteor’s Variable Flow Ducted Rocket opened its air intakes and the missile successfully transitioned to its ramjet operation, says MBDA. It then accelerated to speeds in excess of Mach 3, successfully executing various challenging manoeuvres including using the novel bank while turn control algorithms specifically developed for this high performance missile, the missile maker says. According to MBDA, Meteor followed a pre-programmed flight profile for several minutes, which also demonstrated the high end game control capability for missile launches even at the maximum kinematic range. On achieving the trials objectives, Meteor was command-destroyed in flight within the confines of the test range as intended.
Located in the Western Isles off the North-West coast of Scotland the UK MoD Hebrides Range is operated and managed by QinetiQ under the terms of a Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) and has a Sea Danger Area that extends out 260km and is 140km at its widest point.
MBDA is the prime contractor for the Meteor missile programme. According to MBDA, Meteor is being developed to meet the requirements of six European nations for a Beyond Visual Range missile system with the operational capability to dominate the air battlespace in all future combat scenarios and capable of being integrated on Europe’s major platforms -- Eurofighter Typhoon, Gripen and Rafale. It also has the potential to add to the air-to-air capability of the next generation combat platform, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The Meteor program sees France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK joining together in order to provide access to technology and expertise across Europe. The Meteor contract was signed by the U.K. Defence Procurement Agency on December 23rd, 2002 on behalf of all six nations. This contract covers development of Meteor and provides production options to meet the individual national requirements.
--Joris Janssen Lok
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