The ARMAT missile is a development of the Anglo-French
Martel Martel may refer to:
People
* Andre Martel (1946–2016), American politician and businessman
* Anne-Marie Martel (1644–1673), founder of what is now the Congrégation des Sœurs de l’Enfant-Jésus.
* James B. Aguayo-Martel, ophthalmologist ...
anti-radar missile. The Martel was further developed by
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...
to give the
Sea Eagle
A sea eagle or fish eagle (also called erne or ern, mostly in reference to the white-tailed eagle) is any of the birds of prey in the genus ''Haliaeetus'' in the bird of prey family Accipitridae.
Taxonomy and evolution
The genus ''Haliaeetus'' ...
anti-ship missile, while Britain adopted
ALARM
An alarm device is a mechanism that gives an audible, visual or other kind of alarm signal to alert someone to a problem or condition that requires urgent attention.
Alphabetical musical instruments
Etymology
The word ''alarm'' comes from t ...
for their new ARM missile. France instead adopted the
Exocet
The Exocet () is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Etymology
The missile's name was given by M. Guillot, then the technical directo ...
as their anti-ship missile in the 1970s, and used the ARMAT as new anti-radar weapon. This missile is unusually slow and huge when compared to western anti-radar missiles, reflecting the original anti-ship task of the ancestor, the AS.37/AJ.168 Martel.
ARMAT is not well known in details. It is a two-stage solid propelled missile, highly subsonic, with a range up to 120 km. The warhead weighs 150 kg with proximity fuse and delayed impact. The ARMAT was operational since 1984. It was used as main, if not exclusive anti-radar weapon by French aviation, employed by
SEPECAT Jaguar
The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French jet attack aircraft originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force in the close air support and nuclear strike role. It is still in service with the Indian Air Force.
Originally ...
s against Libyans during
Operation Epervier
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. It was also used by Iraqi aviation against Iranian defences.
ARMAT is used on
Mirage F.1
The Dassault Mirage F1 is a French fighter and attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was developed as a successor to the popular Mirage III family.
During the 1960s, Dassault commenced development of what would ...
,
Mirage 2000
The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine, fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter to replace the Mirage III for the French Air Force ('' ...
and some other French aircraft, but not with the new
Dassault Rafale
The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", and "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French Twinjet, twin-engine, Canard (aeronautics), canard delta wing, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft designed and ...
. An improved product, the MARS, was proposed in 1988. In early 1990s it seems that the basic ARMAT was upgraded with better electronic systems.
References
Notes
* Friedman, Norman.
The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapons Systems 1997–98'. Annapolis, Naval Institute Press, 1997. .
* Richardson, Doug
''Flight International'', 1 October 1988, pp. 33–71.
External links
Ancile
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
Anti-radiation missiles of France
Military equipment introduced in the 1980s
Air-to-surface missiles of the Cold War
Air-to-surface missiles of France