Air-Sol Moyenne Portée
| ASMP | |
|---|---|
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|
| Type | medium-range nuclear air-to-surface missile |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | May 1986[1] |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Aérospatiale |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 860 kg[2] |
| Length | 5.38 m |
| Diameter | 380 mm |
| Warhead | TN 81 nuclear warhead, 150 kt or 300 kt of TNT (variable yield) |
|
|
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| Engine | liquid-fuel ramjet |
|
Operational
range |
300 km (500+km for ASMP-A version)[citation needed] |
| Speed | up to Mach 3[citation needed] |
|
Launch
platform |
Dassault Mirage IV, Dassault Mirage 2000N, Dassault Rafale, and Dassault Super Étendard |
The Air-Sol Moyenne Portée (ASMP; medium-range air to surface missile) is a French nuclear air-launched cruise missile. In French nuclear doctrine it is called a "pre-strategic" weapon, the last-resort "warning shot" prior to a full-scale employment of strategic nuclear weapons. The missile's construction was contracted to Aérospatiale's Tactical Missile Division, now part of MBDA. The missile cost $600 million to develop.[1]
ASMP entered service in May 1986, replacing the earlier free-fall AN-22 bomb on France's Dassault Mirage IV aircraft and the AN-52 bomb on Dassault Super Étendard. About 84 weapons are stockpiled. Carrier aircraft are the Dassault Mirage 2000N, Rafale, and Super Étendard; the earlier Mirage IVA was retired in 1996, although Mirage IVP photo reconnaissance aircraft continued in French Air Force service until 2005.[citation needed]
ASMP is 5.38 m long and weighs 860 kg. It is a supersonic standoff missile powered by a liquid fuel ramjet.[citation needed] It flies at Mach 2 to Mach 3, with a range between 80 km and 300 km depending on flight profile. Warhead is a single TN 81 with two yield options, 150 and 300 kt of TNT.[citation needed]
In 1991, 90 missiles and 80 warheads were reported to have been produced. By 2001, 60 were operational.[3]
ASMP-A
An advanced version known as Air-Sol Moyenne Portée-Amélioré ASMP-A has a range of about 600 km[4] at a speed of up to Mach 3 with the new TNA (tête nucléaire aéroportée) 300kt thermonuclear warhead. It entered service in October 2009 with the Mirage 2000NK3 of squadron EC 3/4 at Istres and on July 2010 with the Rafales of squadron EC 1/91 at Saint Dizier.[5]
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ASMP-A
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Back of ASMP-A mock-up
ASN4G
The studies for the successor to the ASMP-A, dubbed ASN4G, have already begun. ASN4G refers to air-sol nucléaire fourth-generation.[6] The aim is to design a missile capable of hypersonic speeds (Mach 7-8)[7][8]
Operators
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://missilethreat.com/missiles/asmp-a/
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.deagel.com/Land-Attack-Cruise-Missiles/ASMP-A_a001115002.aspx
- ↑ Robert Hewson, "French ASMP-A missile enters service". Jane's Defence Weekly. July 14, 2010, p. 14.
- ↑ http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/air-force/2015/10/17/onera-explores-mach-8-missile-engine-technology/73928488/
- ↑ http://www.opex360.com/2014/11/21/lasn4g-sera-le-futur-missile-des-forces-aeriennes-strategiques/
- ↑ https://www.frstrategie.org/publications/notes/web/documents/2015/201510.pdf
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to ASMP. |
