Indian Missile News And Discussion

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[size="6"]Indian Army Scouts For Medium Range Loitering Missile[/size]











The Indian Army has said it is interested in procuring unspecified numbers of a new medium range Loitering Missile (LM) system, and has sent out Requests for Information to firms in Israel (IAI Malat), France (MBDA) and the US (Raytheon). A glance through the RFI shows the Army is interested in a system with capabilities that include top-attack and the ability to abort an attack after target lock (and re-designate). The Army wants a system where the launcher can be mounted on a Tatra truck.



http://livefist.blogspot.com/2010/03/arm...ering.html





Meet the Loitering Attack Missile (LAM) – or perhaps that should be, hope you never meet it. The LAM is an integral part of the Army's Future Combat Systems and when it goes into service, the 60-inch, 120-pound missile will make life very unpredictable for enemies of the United States. The LAM will be an expendable, loitering hunter-killer, equipped with laser radar seeker and autonomous target recognition – among several very high tech features of the missile is its micro turbojet engine capable of loitering 30 minutes at ranges of 70 kilometres. In addition to its lethal capabilities, the LAM will provide commanders with additional target location and identification capabilities and has two-way data links for retasking in flight and down-linking battlefield images. In summary, the LAM loiters for 30 minutes, identifying battlefield targets and towards the end of its 30 minute mission, or when a priority target appears, it can break off its search and attack the target or any other target under the direction of its commanders.



The LAM is developing nicely, and its propulsion system uses a remarkable engine from Technical Directions Inc. (TDI) of Ortonville, Michigan. The TDI micro turbojet engine has unique design features that make it compact, low-cost and easy to assemble. The engine was designed to use automotive turbocharger parts for the compressor and turbine wheels, with fuel used to lubricate and cool the bearings, eliminating the need for heavy lubricating oil. Altitude chamber and flight testing of the engine system confirmed its full operational capability. The 7-inch-diameter turbojet weighs 16 lbs and generates 100 lbs of thrust at 96,000 rpm.



"After an exhaustive and rigorous evaluation of all engine options available today, this was the only micro-turbojet engine on the market that demonstrated the ability to meet the NLOS-LS LAM performance requirements," said Dennis Stalmach, senior propulsion engineer at Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control. "And the cost of this engine is a fraction of the cost of other similar engines, which will result in a much lower cost product for our customer."



The TDI engines were designed to be assembled in 15 minutes, while the total time allocated for assembly, acceptance testing and packaging for shipment is under two hours, a significant discriminator in the ability to quickly and cost-effectively deliver engines on time and within budget.



"A small, reliable, low-cost turbojet engine was just the solution we needed for LAM," said Glenn Kuller, director - Netted Fires at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "All of the pieces are falling into place on the LAM program, and we're eager to get this highly effective weapon into the hands of our Soldiers as soon as possible."



The NLOS-LS LAM is a ground-launched, canistered tactical missile capable of increasing the warfighter's area of influence through hunter-killer flight operation, automatic target recognition, and can attack high value targets or report their target locations for attack by other weapons systems.



LAM's LADAR seeker provides three-dimensional analysis of potential targets. The LAM vehicle is 62 inches long and weighs 117 pounds, and can search a wide area or loiter for 30 minutes at a range of 70 kilometers. Two-way data links on LAM will provide for re-tasking while in-flight and down-linking of images.



http://defense-update.com/products/l/lam.htm





For over 20 years Delilah was officially defined as a 'Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) powered decoy, but behind the curtain of secrecy, the Israel Air Force and IMI developed an innovative and unique weapon, that has served the IAF well in the past 20 years.



Originally, Delilah and Samson were developed for the IAF as part of an IMI family of SEAD decoys. However, while Samson continued to evolve as a decoy, that became a successful export product, Delilah disappeared from the 'radar screens' and kept a very low profile, becoming one of the air force's to secret programs. Through its transformation, the decoy evolved into a 'loitering precision attack weapon', combining the capabilities of an unmanned aerial vehicle and guided missile, capable of attacking enemy targets with unprecedented precision, agility and persistence.



The weapon's imaging sensors, smart mission-control and two-way datalink, enable 'human in the loop' control which, coupled with extended loitering capability, offering Delilah unprecedented combat capabilities. The weapon can be used to accurately and selectively attack a target at it's weakest points, for example, targeting a protected command center. In this mode, Delilah can be aimed to strike a specific part of the structure, or disable a vital communications link, without destroying the entire target. The weapon’s loitering capability proves an essential feature, when targets are hidden, concealed, or difficult to identify on the first pass, or if the conditions do not match prior assessment. Under such conditions Delilah is commanded to 'go around', wait for better conditions or strike the target from a different angle.



Since Delilah entered service with the IAF in the early 1990s, the weapon went through periodical evolution primarily through Block upgrades. The different missiles may look the same, but their capabilities have significantly been improved over the years. The first production models of the Delilah were integrated only in the Israeli F-4E. It was later introduced to the improved Phantom-2000, F-16C/D and, most lately to F-16I (Israeli Block 52) models. Delilah is currently being evaluated by a number of foreign navies, for use as land attack and anti-ship weapon, carried by naval helicopters.



"Delilah is our 'flagship of weapons', the most advanced ground attack weapon the IAF has" says Lt. Colonel Gil, head of ordnance branch in the Air Force's Weapon Systems Division. Primary use of this weapon is the hunting for targets, such as surface missiles and launchers, rocket launching sites, and surface-to-air weapons. Over the years we also introduced an anti-structure warhead to improve our effectiveness against fortified and urban targets." During the 2nd Lebanon War the air force used ordnance, representing almost every type of weapon in its arsenal. Delilah missiles were also used, hunting of Hezbollah supply trucks. The missiles tracked vehicles carrying rocket loads, crossing from Syria and destroyed them inside Lebanon." Lt. Col. G admits Delilah is an expensive weapon that cannot be commonly employed, but only selectively, when the target 'value' justifies the cost. The IAF continues to evolve the system, into future weapons that will continue and expand the Delilah concept and its capabilities. Furthermore, the IAF recently upgraded the weapon simulator of the Delilah, to reflect the latest capabilities of the weapon.



http://tinyurl.com/yhbvrvt