Martel (AS.37) | |
---|---|
Type | Standoff anti-radar missile (AS 37) / air-to-surface (AJ.168) |
Place of origin | United Kingdom/France |
Service history | |
Used by | Royal Air Force Armée de l'Air |
Wars | Operation Epervier Iran–Iraq War |
Production history | |
Manufacturer | Hawker Siddeley, Matra |
Produced | 1972 [1] |
No. built | 300 antiradar (150 for both France and UK), plus an unknown number of TV version (only for UK) [2] |
Variants | AS.37 "Martel" radar, AS37 "Armat", AJ 168 "Martel" Video |
Specifications | |
Mass | 550 kg (1,210 lb) |
Length | 4.18 m (13 ft 9 in) |
Diameter | 0.4 m (16 in) |
Wingspan | 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) |
Warhead | 150 kg (330 lb) and fitted with a Misznay–Schardin plate |
Detonation mechanism | proximity fuze |
Engine | two stage solid propellant rocket motors |
Operational range | 60 km (37 mi) max (estimated, and depending on the launch conditions) |
Maximum speed | Mach 0.9 + |
Guidance system | passive radar homing, video guided |
Launch platform | fixed wing aircraft |
The Martel is an Anglo-French missile. The name Martel is a contraction of Missile, Anti-Radiation, Television, referring to the guidance options. There are two variants, the passive radar anti-radiation missile version, AS.37, and the television guided anti-ship missile, AJ 168.
The aircraft that used these missiles were the Blackburn Buccaneer (up to three TV or four ARM variant), the SEPECAT Jaguar (two), the Mirage III/F1 (one or two), and the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod (at least one). The Martel was suited to anti-ship attack with its long range and heavy warhead. There was not, at the time, a small radar homing missile like the AGM-84 Harpoon with an active radar, so the only viable solution was a video or ARM sensor. With a relatively long range, a heavy payload, and a subsonic speed, this missile compares more to an anti-ship weapon like the Exocet or the AS.34 Kormoran than an anti-radar missile. It weighs three times as much as the AGM-45 Shrike, with half the speed but much greater range and explosive power.
It was possible to adapt the Martel ARM to be used against different wavelength radars. It was an improvement compared to the early AGM-78 Standard ARM missiles, that had only one narrow-band homing sensor. But the ARM sensor was only selectable on the ground, not in flight and so before taking-off it was necessary to know what kind of radar was being attacked.
The UK has used both types, the French only the radar-equipped variant. The Martel fuselage forms the basis for the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile with a turbojet to improve range, while the French used it to develop ARMAT, an advanced ARM missile in the 1980s. [3] For ARM functions, the RAF adopted a totally new and much smaller missile, the ALARM.
The Martel was used by France against Libya during the Epervier military operation, supporting Chad. On 7 January 1987 four French Jaguars took off carrying one Martel each. Three did not launch their missiles, for they were programmed to aim at specific radar wavelengths, [4] but the last one hit an SA-6 radar, destroying it completely. [5]
On 7 March, following an air raid by Libyan MiG-21s and MiG-23s, another strike was mounted by ten Martel-equipped Jaguars from EC 4/11 (or more likely EC 3/3 "Ardennes" as that unit was the Martel specialist) against the radar installations at Ouadi Doum air base. [6]
The AGM-88 HARM is a tactical, air-to-surface anti-radiation missile designed to home in on electronic transmissions coming from surface-to-air radar systems. It was originally developed by Texas Instruments as a replacement for the AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-78 Standard ARM system. Production was later taken over by Raytheon Corporation when it purchased the defense production business of Texas Instruments.
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An anti-radiation missile (ARM) is a missile designed to detect and home in on an enemy radio emission source. Typically, these are designed for use against an enemy radar, although jammers and even radios used for communications can also be targeted in this manner.
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An air-to-surface missile (ASM) or air-to-ground missile (AGM) is a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft at targets on land or sea. There are also unpowered guided glide bombs not considered missiles. The two most common propulsion systems for air-to-surface missiles are rocket motors, usually with shorter range, and slower, longer-range jet engines. Some Soviet-designed air-to-surface missiles are powered by ramjets, giving them both long range and high speed.
The Kh-31 is a Soviet and Russian air-to-surface missile carried by aircraft such as the MiG-29 or Su-27. It is capable of Mach 3.5 and was the first supersonic anti-ship missile that could be launched by tactical aircraft.
Operation Épervier was the French military presence in Chad from 1986 until 2014.
The Ouadi Doum airstrike was carried out by French aircraft on 16 February 1986, against the Libyan airbase of Ouadi Doum in northern Chad, during the Chadian–Libyan conflict. The raid was significant in that it demonstrated French resolve to counter Gaddafi's expansionary aims and indicated France's commitment to its former colonies.
The Kh-28 was the first Soviet anti-radiation missile for tactical aircraft. It entered production in 1973 and is still carried on some Sukhoi Su-22s in developing countries but is no longer in Russian service. Use of the Kh-28 was restricted by its weight, limited seeker head, bulk and fuelling requirements, and it was superseded by the smaller, solid-fuel Kh-58 in the early 1980s.
This is a list of weapons used by the Swedish Air Force.
The ARMAT missile is a development of the Anglo-French Martel anti-radar missile. The Martel was further developed by British Aerospace to give the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile, while Britain adopted ALARM for their new ARM missile. France instead adopted the Exocet as their anti-ship missile in the 1970s, and used the ARMAT as new anti-radar weapon. This missile is unusually slow and huge when compared to western anti-radar missiles, reflecting the original anti-ship task of the ancestor, the AS.37/AJ.168 Martel.
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