Page 43 - Australian Defence Magazine April-May 2021
P. 43

                                                                                      APRIL-MAY 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
SEA POWER MISSILES 43
THE PATH SO FAR
The government had announced in July 2020 that it would buy the Lockheed Martin AGM-158C long-range anti-ship missile (LRASM) for initial deployment on the RAAF’s F/A – 18F Su- per Hornets. However, this was separate to future investment in advanced naval strike capabilities, including long-range anti- ship and land strike weapons, the spokesperson explained.
The ESSM Block II, designed and manufactured by a 12-nation international consortium in which BAE Systems is the lead Australian participant, will replace the original version of the ESSM on the Anzac-class frigates and Ho- bart-class air warfare destroyers and will also be deployed on the future Hunter-class frigates.
The Block II missile features an enhanced 39 kilogram blast fragmentation warhead and an active seeker, meaning it will itself transmit and receive an electromagnetic signal to engage a manoeuvring target, at times independently of illumination from the launch ship. Range remains the same at about 50 kilometres.
Although the Block II is slightly wider than the 254mm diameter of the in-service missile, no modifications are re- quired to the tactical length Mk 41 vertical launch systems (VLS) aboard the Anzacs or to the strike length VLS on the Hobart-class, or to the ability to accommodate quadpacked ESSMs in a single VLS cell.
“CONTRIBUTING TO FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF RAYTHEON’S SM-6 BLOCK 1 MISSILE FORESHADOWS AUSTRALIA BECOMING ONE OF THE FIRST EXPORT CUSTOMERS FOR THIS VERSATILE ALBEIT EXPENSIVE MISSILE, ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN IN SERVICE WITH THE US NAVY SINCE 2013.”
Block II production began in 2019 and Defence will seek to acquire missiles to add to inventory once the weapon achieves final certification.
Confirmation of continuing investment in development of the SM-2 Block IIIC missile that will replace the already- capable Block IIIB now aboard the Hobart-class, as well as funding enhancement of the longer-range SM-6 Block 1, came as no surprise.
The 150 kilometre-range SM-2 Block IIIC introduces a new guidance and homing section incorporating the same dual-mode (active/semi-active) radar seeker that is on the SM-6 Block I. This is an enlarged version of the active seeker on the AIM-120C Advanced Medium Range Air-to- Air Missile (AMRAAM) in service with the RAAF’s Super Hornets, Growlers and F-35As.
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