UK MoD Announces Brimstone Missile Contract

Computer-generated image of a Dual Mode Seeker Brimstone missile [Picture: Copyright MBDA Systems] A new £14 million contract to increa...

Computer-generated image of a Dual Mode Seeker Brimstone missile [Picture: Copyright MBDA Systems]

A new £14 million contract to increase the RAF’s arsenal of precision attack Brimstone missile has been announced by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The Brimstone missiles are carried by RAF Tornado aircraft in Afghanistan and were also used on operations over Libya.
Manufactured and assembled at MBDA facilitiesin Henlow, Bedfordshire, and Lostock, Bolton, the Dual Mode Seeker Brimstone (DMSB) missileis used by RAF crews to engage moving or static targets at day or night with pin point accuracy.

This advanced radar-guided weapon is derived from the US Army Hellfire AGM-114F missile and is deployed in RAF service on a pylon-mounted launching rack that contains three missiles.
It is powered by a rocket motor and can seek and destroy targets at long range.
Ground acquisition and target recognition are achieved by a millimetric wave radar seeker. The weapon locks onto a target after launch and is designed for the attack and destruction of armoured targets.
Steerable fins guide the missile towards the target with final impact causing a tandem charge warhead to detonate. The first, smaller warhead nullifies reactive armour, allowing the follow-through charge to penetrate the main armour. It is designed to be carried by the Tornado GR4 and Typhoon F2 fighters.