The MICA () is a French anti-air multi-target, all weather,

fire-and-forget Fire-and-forget is a type of missile guidance which does not require further external intervention after launch such as illumination of the target or wire guidance, and can hit its target without the launcher being in line-of-sight of the tar ...

short to medium-range missile system manufactured by MBDA France. It is intended for use both by air platforms as individual missiles as well as ground units and ships, which can be equipped with the rapid fire MICA

Vertical Launch System A vertical launching system (VLS) is an advanced system for holding and firing missiles on mobile naval platforms, such as surface ships and submarines. Each vertical launch system consists of a number of ''cells'', which can hold one or mo ...

. It is fitted with a thrust vector control (TVC) system. It was developed from 1982 onward by

Matra Matra (an acronym for Mécanique Aviation Traction) was a major French industrial Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. Its business activities covered a wide range of industries, notably aerospace manufacturer, aerospace, defence industry, def ...

. The first trials occurred in 1991, and the missile was commissioned in 1996 to equip the

Rafale The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", or "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide range ...

and

Mirage 2000 The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine, delta wing, 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 ...

. It is a replacement for both the

Super 530 The Matra Super 530 is a French short to medium-range air-to-air missile. The Super 530 series is an improved type of the R.530 missile. The Super 530F and Super 530D share the same general aerodynamic features and internal layout with cruciform ...

in the interception role and the Magic II in the

dogfight A dogfight, or dog fight, is an air combat manoeuvring, aerial battle between fighter aircraft that is conducted at close range. Modern terminology for air-to-air combat is air combat manoeuvring (ACM), which refers to tactical situations requir ...

ing role. MICA-EM and MICA-IR both can fulfill the roles of short-range and medium range BVR air to air missiles. On 11 June 2007, a MICA launched from a

successfully demonstrated its over-the-shoulder capability by destroying a target behind the launch aircraft. The target was designated by another aircraft and coordinates were transmitted via

Link 16 Link 16 is a military tactical data link network used by NATO members and other nations, as allowed by the MIDS International Program Office (IPO). Its specification is part of the family of Tactical Data Links. Link 16 enables military aircra ...

Characteristics

There are two MICA variants; MICA RF has an

active radar homing Active radar homing (ARH) is a missile guidance method in which a missile contains a radar transceiver (in contrast to semi-active radar homing, which uses only a passive radar, receiver) and the electronics necessary for it to find and track it ...

seeker and MICA IR has an imaging infra-red homing seeker. Both seekers are designed to filter out counter-measures such as

chaff Chaff (; ) is dry, scale-like plant material such as the protective seed casings of cereal grains, the scale-like parts of flowers, or finely chopped straw. Chaff cannot be digested by humans, but it may be fed to livestock, ploughed into soil ...

and

decoy flare A flare or decoy flare is an aerial infrared countermeasure used by an aircraft to counter an infrared homing ("heat-seeking") surface-to-air missile or air-to-air missile. Flares are commonly composed of a pyrotechnic composition based on mag ...

s. A

thrust vector control Thrust vectoring, also known as thrust vector control (TVC), is the ability of an aircraft, rocket or other vehicle to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine(s) or motor(s) to control the attitude or angular velocity of the veh ...

unit fitted to the rocket motor increases the missile's agility. The missile is capable of lock-on after launch (LOAL) which means it is capable of engaging targets outside its seeker's at-launch acquisition range. Mounted on the

, the MICA IR can provide IR imagery to the central data processing system, thus acting as an extra sensor. MICA can also be employed as a short-range

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...

. It is available in a ground-based version, VL MICA, fired from a truck-mounted box launcher, and a naval version, VL MICA-M, fired from a ship-fitted vertical launch system.. On 23 October 2008, 15:30, at CELM, Biscarosse ( Landes), a VL MICA missile successfully performed the last of its 14 test firings meaning it is now ready for mass production. The target drone was flying at low level, over the sea, 12 km away; despite this distance, MICA, equipped with an active radar seeker, locked on the target and shot it down.

Corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

s too small to have the big and costly

Aster Aster or ASTER may refer to: Biology * ''Aster'' (genus), a genus of flowering plants ** List of ''Aster'' synonyms, other genera formerly included in ''Aster'' and still called asters in English * Aster (cell biology), a cellular structure shap ...

missile system are the most likely customers for the VL MICA-M, which offers similar capability as the Aster 15 but without its booster and PIF-PAF vectorial control. While the VL MICA has an advertised range of 20 km, aerodynamic performance is significantly degraded at those ranges. From 0 to 7 km MICA has maneuverability of 50g, however by 12 km this is reduced to 30g as energy is lost.

Variants

Mock-up of a MBDA MICA missile in Taiwan

MBDA_MICA_VL_Lanceur_terrestre_Paris_Air_Show_2015

* MICA RF or EM (électromagnétique) * MICA IR (infrarouge/infrared) * VL MICA RF/EM * VL MICA IR * VL MICA-M RF/EM * VL MICA-M IR * A3SM . Submarine-launched version. Installed in Barracuda-class nuclear-fueled attack subs of the French Navy. * MICA NG . Second generation of MICA designed against stealthy targets. Infrared seeker will use a matrix sensor providing greater sensitivity. The radio frequency seeker will use an AESA. The range has been increased by up to 40% over the standard MICA.

Operators

Current operators

Air-air missile

; :

Croatian Air Force The Croatian Air Force ( or HRZ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Croatian Armed Forces. It is tasked primarily with safeguarding the sovereignty of Croatian airspace and providing aviation support to other branches during joint operations. ...

: With the purchase of the Rafale F3R fighter jets come MICA missiles in radar-guided and infrared versions. ; :

Egyptian Air Force The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) () is the aviation branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces that is responsible for all airborne defence missions and operates all military aircraft, including those used in support of the Egyptian Army, Egyptian Navy ...

: MICA EM/IR used on

aircraft, 150 missiles purchased. ; :

French Air and Space Force The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the French Air F ...

: used on

-5, Mirage 2000D RMV and Rafale aircraft. :

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

: used on Rafale M aircraft. ; :

Hellenic Air Force The Hellenic Air Force (HAF; , sometimes abbreviated as ΠΑ) is the air force of Greece (''Hellenic'' being the endonym for ''Greek'' in the Greek language). It is considered to be one of the largest air forces in NATO, and is globally placed 1 ...

: MICA EM/IR on

and

fighters :* 100 missiles ordered in 2000 (delivery 2003-04) :* 100 ordered in 2003 ; :

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

: 200 MICA-IR and 1000 MICA-RF missiles are integrated on upgraded Mirage-2000s and Rafales. Indian Air Force successfully tested MICA missile from its aircraft

Sukhoi Su-30MKI The Sukhoi Su-30MKI (NATO reporting name: Flanker-H) is a two-seater, twinjet Multirole combat aircraft, multirole air superiority fighter developed by Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi and built under licence by India's Hindustan Aeronautic ...

. ; :

Royal Moroccan Air Force The Royal Moroccan Air Force (; ; ) is the air force of the Moroccan Armed Forces. History The Moroccan air force was formed on 14 May 1956 as the Sherifian Royal Aviation (). Its modern installations and bases were inherited from France (Bass ...

, 150 missiles ordered in 2005 ; :

Qatar Emiri Air Force The Qatar Emiri Air Force () (QEAF) is the air arm of the armed forces of the state of Qatar. It was established in 1974 as a small aerial support wing, although in modern times it has evolved into a potent, well equipped force. The QEAF is head ...

, 100 MICA-EM ordered in 1994, 150 MICA-IR + 150 MICA-EM ordered in 2015 ; :

Republic of China Air Force The Republic of China Air Force ( Chinese, 中華民國空軍), or the ROCAF; known colloquially as the Taiwanese Air Force ( Chinese, 臺灣空軍) by Western or mainland Chinese media, or commonly referred as the National Military Air Force ...

: 960 originally purchased to equip Mirage 2000-5 fighters of the RoCAF. The

National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST; ) is a Taiwanese state owned corporation, formerly part of the Ministry of National Defense's Armaments Bureau, which is active in the development, manufacturing, support, and ...

has been tasked with upgrading the missile in 2016. ; :

United Arab Emirates Air Force The United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) () is the air force of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), part of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. Its predecessor was established in 1968, when the Emirates were still under British rule. Since then, ...

: on the Mirage 2000, 500 missiles ordered in 1998

Surface-to-air missile

; :

Botswana Ground Force The Botswana Ground Forces is the army of the country of Botswana, and the land component of the Botswana Defence Force. History The Botswana Defence Force was raised in April 1977 by an Act of Parliament called the 'BDF Act NO 13 of 1977. At i ...

: 1 battery of VL MICA on erector launcher, acquired in 2016. 50 missiles have been purchased for this system. ; :

Royal Moroccan Army The Royal Moroccan Army ( ''Al-Quwwat al-Bariyah al-Malakiyah al-Maghribiyah'', ''tasrdast tagldant'') is the branch of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Royal Moroccan Army is about 215,000 t ...

: 4 batteries Ground based VL MICA., 200 missiles ordered for those systems in 2020 ; : Royal Army of Oman Ground based VL MICA (first client 1 battery ordered in 2009, delivered in 2012, 50 missiles) ; : Saudi Arabia National Guard Air Defence: VL-MICA., 5 batteries ordered in 2013 with 250 missiles ; :

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's sovereignty. The army was formed in 187 ...

: 1 VL MICA battery, 50 missiles ordered in 2016

Naval surface-to-air missile

; , : VL MICA-M installed on 4 Gowind-class corvettes (16 VLS), 75 missiles purchased with that contract. : VL-MICA-M installed on 4 MEKO-A200-EN with each 32 × VLS for MBDA MICA-NG, 200 missiles purchased with that contract. : 75 missiles purchased. ; :

Indonesian Navy The Indonesian Navy (, TNI-AL) is the Navy, naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol Indonesia's lengthy coastline, to enforce and patrol the territorial waters and Exclus ...

: 2 VL MICA-M installed on . :* 40 MICA missiles purchased in 2018 ; :

Royal Moroccan Navy The Royal Moroccan Navy of Morocco () is a branch of the military of Morocco responsible for conducting naval operations. The Royal Moroccan Navy is administratively managed by the Administration of Defence, which is (''de facto'') commanded b ...

: VL MICA-M installed on

Sigma-class design The SIGMA class is a Dutch-built family of modular naval vessels, of either corvette or frigate size, designed by Damen Group. SIGMA stands for Ship Integrated Geometrical Modularity Approach. The basic design of the SIGMA Patrol Series can vary ...

. ; :

Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) () is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an estimated strength of 24,500 active service personnel, including the 10,300-strong Philippine Marine Corps. It operates 91 combat ...

: VL-MICA installed on ''Miguel Malvar-''class frigates. ; :

Royal Navy of Oman The Royal Navy of Oman (), abbreviated RNO, is the maritime component of the Royal Armed Forces of the Sultanate of Oman. Given its long coastline and strategic location along the Indian Ocean, as well as being close to the Strait of Hormuz, ...

: VL MICA-M used on the ''Khareef''-class corvettes (ordered in 2008, delivered in 2013-14, 60 missiles) ; :

Qatari Emiri Navy The Qatari Emiri Navy () (QEN), is the naval branch of the armed forces of the State of Qatar. History The State of Qatar did not possess any ships originally upon gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1971, but by 1992 the country's ...

, 2 patrol ships ''Musherib'' class with each 8 VLS MICA, and 30 missiles ordered in 2016 ; : Saudi Arabia Navy: VL MICA-M. ordered for 5 Avante-2200 frigates, ordered in 2018 with 120 missiles ; :

Republic of Singapore Navy The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the Naval warfare, maritime Military branch, service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any seaborne threats and as a guarantor of its sea lines of ...

: 8 ''Independence''-class littoral mission vessel are equipped with the VL MICA-M, 150 missiles ordered for it in 2013. ; :

United Arab Emirates Navy The United Arab Emirates Navy (UAEN) is the naval branch of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. It is small force of about 3,000 personnel. It maintains 12 well-equipped coastal patrol boats and eight missile boats. Although primarily concer ...

: VL MICA-M on Falaj 2-class patrol vessel, 20 missiles ordered for 2 corvettes.

Naval underwater-to-air missile

; :

: on Barracuda-class submarine. ; :

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

: on ''Kalvari''-class submarines.

Future operators

; :

Bulgarian Navy The Bulgarian Navy () is the navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; name ...

: In September 2022 the Bulgarian government decided for the purchase of VL MICA for the two future patrol ships of the Bulgarian Navy. The first ship is under construction and will be commissioned in 2025. ; :

Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defence operations. RMN's area of operation consists of 603,2 ...

: VL MICA-M has been selected for the future ''Maharaja Lela''-class frigates. ; :

Ukrainian Navy The Ukrainian Navy (), is the Navy, maritime force of Ukraine and one of the eight Military branch, service branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The naval forces consist of five components: surface forces, submarine forces, Ukrainian Naval ...

: The VL "MICA" air defense system will be installed on the

Ada-class corvette The ''Ada''-class is a class of anti-submarine warfare corvettes developed primarily for the Turkish Navy during the first stage of the MILGEM project. The Turkish Navy has commissioned all four ''Ada''-class corvettes. TCG ''Ufuk'' (A-591) ...

Hetman Ivan Mazepa. On 23 October 2024,

Sébastien Lecornu Sébastien Lecornu (; born 11 June 1986) is a French politician who has served as Minister of the Armed Forces in the governments of successive Prime Ministers Élisabeth Borne, Gabriel Attal, Michel Barnier and François BayrouLeigh Thomas and ...

, French Armed Forces Minister, announced that France would send the first of three

s to Ukraine by March 2025. These aircraft would be capable of carrying

SCALP-EG The Storm Shadow is a Franco-British low-observable, long-range air-launched cruise missile developed since 1994 by Matra and British Aerospace, and now manufactured by MBDA. "Storm Shadow" is the weapon's British name; in France it is calle ...

and MICA missiles, have updated electronic warfare systems and that Ukrainian pilots were be trained in their usage.

Potential operators

Armenian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia (, abbreviated ՀՀ ԶՈՒ, ''HH ZU''), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Army (), is the national military of Armenia. It consists of personnel branches under the General Staff of the Armenian Arm ...

– French Defense Minister

mentioned its possible sale during his visit to Armenia in February 2024.

References

External links

* {{Citation , url = http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/naval-exhibitions/lima-2013/963-mbdas-anti-ship-a-air-defence-weapons-at-lima-2013-multiple-solutions-for-multiple-missions-.html , title = MBDA's Anti-Ship & Air Defence Weapons at LIMA 2013: Multiple Solutions For Multiple Missions , newspaper = Navy recognition.

MICA Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into fragile elastic plates. This characteristic is described as ''perfect basal cleavage''. Mica is co ...

Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles 20th-century surface-to-air missiles Military equipment introduced in the 1990s Fire-and-forget weapons Matra MBDA