Miniature Self-Defense Missile
 

Raytheon secured $375 million contract to develop miniature self-defense missile ? Alert 5

Raytheon secured $375 million contract to develop miniature self-defense missile

Raytheon has emerged as the winner to develop a miniature self-defense missile to defend U.S. military aircraft from incoming missile attacks.

The Massachusetts headquatered company was given a $375 million contract by the Pengtaon on Jul. 21 for the research and development of a flight-test ready missile. The Pentagon added that two bids were received, meaning Lockheed Martin did not get the contract.

Back in 2016, Raytheon had been given $14 million to work on the Miniature Self-Defense Munition (MSDM), a miniaturized weapon for “close-in platform self-defense and penetration into contested A2AD environment with little to no impact to payload capacity.”

For more information, hit the Source below.

https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Con...ticle/2281833/


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f9fd93f4a.jpeg

"Close up number 2!" Oops!

This teensy missile has enough fuel to be able to turn around (assuming it is carried pointing forwards?) and then intercept an incoming missile? There doesn't seem to be enough room for the motor, the fuel needed to accelerate, control surfaces to make a tight turn, and a warhead big enough to make a difference?

The best defence against something coming from behind would be a raipidly-deployed metallic balloon, like an airbag that gets left in the space between the missile seeker head and the aircraft, while it makes a hasty retreat.

AC
 

Your idea, whilst novel, assumes an attacking missile will come from the rear hemisphere.

If an aircraft is traveling at a decent speed the ‘balloon’ would need to be truly enormous to cover even the rear aspect.

Most missiles will plot a collision course with their targets and, hence, will not come from behind.

As an aside, can I be the first to offer up ‘MISDEMEANOUR’ as the unofficial name of the MSDM?

BV

Bob,

Your comments, while entirely valid, make the foolish assumption that the average poster has any knowledge of modern air to air TTPs post the introduction of the AIM-9G...

:ugh:

Bob, it's 38 years since I fired a rocket, and it was only a FFFFFAR (fixed forward firing folding fin aerial rocket) of 2.75" diameter, launched from a Huey with the hope that the relative airflow was straight down the tube and that the tube was pointing the right way, the correct depression was set, and the old orange-painted armoured car on the ground was a willing participant.

We never missed the ground.

Misdemeanor
 

Bob
Isn't ‘Misdemeanor’ already taken for a very nattily painted Hunter?

AC
 

Your last sentence made me laugh. So true.

KB - you might be right. I don’t think they have exclusive use though.

BV

Call it a Clay Pigeon - something you fire to get in the way of a bullet....

Puts me in mind of some naval test of the Sea-something (Wolf?) short range defence missile. It was decided that the thing should be tested against a shell fired from one of pusser's warship guns...

So on the day the order was given. 'BANG' went the gun, the missile sensed, launched, tracked and zapped the shell before it was barely out of the barrel.

Cue the signal from the warship "Seems like we shot down your rocket, chaps!".

Given that its job is to get in the way of anything incoming perhaps it should be called the Blunderbolt.

Raytheon must need placating over the “rise of the laser”. So will AAMs now be equipped with their own chaff and flares ? :E

Did a torpe8 trial once, torpedo intended to hit the seabed - it missed.

Next one hit. Gravity didn't always win 😊