260 FLIGHT International, 25 July 1981 Britain's Aerospace Industry—Guided weapons Market emerges for lightweight Seawolf BRITAIN'S decision to accele designed a lighter twin sea-skimming anti-ship mis rate development of the launcher with rapid reload siles. This system may not cheaper Type 23 anti capability to replace the now be adopted by the Royal submarine frigate provides a standard six - round equip Navy as the £125 million crucial home market for ment. Seawolf/VM40 is suit Type 22 is to be replaced on lightweight Seawolf. There able for a number of ships the order books by the has been considerable over and a containerised version smaller Type 23, which has a seas interest in this anti could arm container ships target cost of £65 million. missile system, which is suit like those to be used by the Faced with the cancella able for ships down to 900 US Rapid Deployment Force. tion of GWS25, which cur tonnes, and a Royal Navy Private-venture lightweight rently employs 1,500 people, order could lead to export Seawolf development has so Marconi has come up with sales. There are two compet far cost about £20 million. a belated proposal for a ing systems, the British Marconi Radar is overall lightweight Seawolf tracking Aerospace/Hollandse Signaal- ship system contractor for system, based on the S800 apparaten Seawolf/VM40 and the standard GWS25 Seawolf family of radars and using the Marconi Radar 805SW. fitted to Type 22 Broadsword- the modified DN181 Blindfire A decision is expected in class frigates. The company low-angle tracking sensor. September. has recently demonstrated According to Marconi, the BAe has been studying successfully the improved 805SW system is slightly lightweight Seawolf for GWS25 Mod 1, which has a lighter than VM40 and offers several years, selecting Sig- modified DN181 Rapier better performance at a com naal to provide the dual- Blindfire millimetric radar in parable price. The fire-con frequency monopulse track place of the TV system nor trol system would also be ing radar. Vickers has mally used to track low-angle suitable for guiding guns.
Right The Vickers lightweight Seawolf launcher. Below Containerised Dogfight missile Seawalf/VM40 on a cargo ship, showing the tracking radar and twin launchers .SEeie'i Bi-itoic I'as drop- pod out of Anti-Ship JOINT British Aerospace/ EuroHiisate lAgsm], 4he Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik European effort to de Advanced Short-Range Air velop a 'common- super to-Air Missile (Asraam) pre- sonic anti-ship missile for feasibility studies will be the late 1980s. Aerospa completed later this year. tiale and MBB have The missile will replace Side joined forces to develop winders in the 1990s and will the Mach 2-plus Ami- be built in Europe and the N •:: v i r e s Supersouique USA. Design features include BAe will continue to mon fire-and-forget guidance, by itor this j>F€ijff,siiiMie Unit infra-red active radar or may eventualh develop a active laser, and high man supersonic version of the oeuvrability against off-bore- Sea Eagle anti-ship mis- sight targets. sil< Asraam should be smaller than Sidewinder and be suit BIowp; sent of able for installation on a the . towed wide range of aircraft, both quadru] r for air defence and ground the Sh e sur attack. BAe continues a face-to-air missile has series of technology demon been . but the stration flights. Asraam will £200 m eiaent complement the US Advanced programme for B: Medium-Range Air-to-Air Mis Army sho- uncfaed sile to replace Sparrow. missiles cc s. The weapon cou recon naissance h • =rs. UK torpedo industry leads the world Sea Dart There will be no further orders for the HAVING created a British 7525 heavyweight torpedo 3,000 to 4,000 Sting Rays out Sea Dart-equipped Type torpedo industry, the UK now on offer to the Royal side the USA. The heavy 42 air-defence destroyer Ministry of Defence now Navy. weight market is much and plans for a mid-life finds the future of that in A year ago, the UK MoD smaller. improvement programme dustry in its hands. After a decided to open the heavy MSDS is two to three have been dropped. The history of buying US tor weight requirement to com months ahead of schedule proposed GWS 31 Sea Dart pedoes, Britain decided in petition and Gould, with and 5 to 6 per cent within Mk 2, with new surveil the 1970s to proceed with the strong backing from the US cost on the £250 million lance and tracking radars, £920 million Marconi Space Navy, offered the Mk 48 Sting Ray development pro has been cancelled. Sea and Defence Systems Sting Adcap (advanced capability) gramme. The first production Dart also equips the Ray project rather than to and substantial industrial acceptance rounds were de Invincible-class anti-sut>» update existing Mk 46 offsets. A decision is ex livered in April. To keep marine aircraft carriers, weapons in a £200 million pected in August at the down unit cost, the main pro only two of which will Neartip near-term improve earliest. MSDS argues that a duction contract will be enter service. BAe con ment programme. Sting Ray decision against 7525 will opened to competition, in tinues to work on Light is now the most advanced hurt Sting Ray export pros cluding Marconi's majority weight Sea Dart, which lightweight torpedo in the pects, appearing as a public share but excluding final features box launchers world, ten years ahead of its vote of no confidence in assembly and test, which will bolted to the decks of US rival, and its technology Britain's new torpedo in ships down to 300 tonnes^ forms the basis of the MSDS dustry. There is a market for Continued in column 1, Page 261