Missile maker MBDA has won a £184 million contract to produce an updated version of the ASRAAM heat seeking air-to-air missiles. These...
Missile maker MBDA has won a £184 million contract to produce an updated version of the ASRAAM heat seeking air-to-air missiles.
These additional stockpile of missiles will arm the new F-35B supersonic stealth combat aircraft for Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy from 2022, operating from land and the UK’s two new aircraft carriers respectively.
The type already arms RAF Typhoon and Tornado combat aircraft and is being carried daily on missions over Iraq and Syria as part of the coalition fight against Daesh.
The medium range missile with a range in excess of 25 km, has a length of 2.9 m, diameter of 166 mm and weighs 88 kg.
Designed and manufactured in the UK, the ASRAAM uses a sophisticated infra-red seeker to engage hostile air targets ranging in size from large multi-engined aircraft to small drones.
The award is part of an overarching agreement with MBDA which is sustaining around 200 jobs at the company’s sites in Bristol, Stevenage and Bolton, with a further 200 sustained across the supply chain.
Work on ASRAAM will be carried out at MBDA’s new, £40 million state of the art manufacturing facility that is nearing completion in the Logistic North commercial development in Bolton.
Work to integrate the new missile onto the UK’s F-35 fleet will be carried out under a separate contract.
These additional stockpile of missiles will arm the new F-35B supersonic stealth combat aircraft for Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy from 2022, operating from land and the UK’s two new aircraft carriers respectively.
The type already arms RAF Typhoon and Tornado combat aircraft and is being carried daily on missions over Iraq and Syria as part of the coalition fight against Daesh.
The medium range missile with a range in excess of 25 km, has a length of 2.9 m, diameter of 166 mm and weighs 88 kg.
Designed and manufactured in the UK, the ASRAAM uses a sophisticated infra-red seeker to engage hostile air targets ranging in size from large multi-engined aircraft to small drones.
The award is part of an overarching agreement with MBDA which is sustaining around 200 jobs at the company’s sites in Bristol, Stevenage and Bolton, with a further 200 sustained across the supply chain.
Work on ASRAAM will be carried out at MBDA’s new, £40 million state of the art manufacturing facility that is nearing completion in the Logistic North commercial development in Bolton.
Work to integrate the new missile onto the UK’s F-35 fleet will be carried out under a separate contract.
