HALCON from UAE has developed P2 Desert Sting and P3 Thunder precision-guided munitions
HALCON, a UAE-based company and a regional leader in the production and supply of precision-guided weapons has developed and designed a full range of precision-guided munitions including the P2 Desert Sting and the P3 Thunder family.
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The P3 Thunder is a family of cost-effective, short-range, guidance kits that can be fitted to the Mk-82 (P-32) and the Mk-81 (P-31) general-purpose aerial munitions. (Picture source Army Recognition)
UAE-based company HALCON produces two lines of drop-launched, unpropelled, precision-guidance kit systems. These air-to-surface kits incorporate aerodynamic tail control to guide down-range, cross-range, and back-range direction. The Thunder system provides guided delivery for NATO STD warheads of MK81, MK82 and MK84, while the Desert Sting system provides delivery for warheads ranging from 5 kg to 35 kg.
The P3 Thunder is a family of cost-effective, short-range, guidance kits that can be fitted to the Mk-82 (P-32) and the Mk-81 (P-31) general-purpose aerial munitions. Thunder utilizes inertial guidance augmented by global navigation satellite system (GNSS) information (GAINS). A semi-active laser (SAL) seeker configuration further improves accuracy performance against designated targets.
The Mk-81 is a 110 kg general-purpose bomb nicknamed "Firecracker", while the Mk-83 is a 459 kg bomb. The Mk 83 is a streamlined steel casing containing 202 kg of Tritonal high explosive.
Designed to provide guided delivery of standard MK81 (P31), MK82 (P32) and MK84 (P4) GP (General-Purpose) aerial bombs, the Thunder System represents a cost-effective, short-range guided bomb kit system that combines an inertial measurement unit and global navigational satellite system measurements to guide the system to pre-programmed target coordinates. A semi-active laser seeker can optionally be fitted to enhance precision.
The Thunder kit is offered in P31, P32, and P4 configurations. The P31 and P32 guidance kits can be fitted to the Mk-82 (P-32) and the Mk-81 (P-31) general-purpose aerial bombs while the P4 can be fitted to the Mk-84 general purpose aerial bomb.
The P2 Desert Sting system provides a high-altitude drop-launched, un-propelled guided kit system. (Picture source Army Recognition)
The P2 Desert Sting system provides a high-altitude drop-launched, un-propelled guided kit system. Offering 100, 129 and 176 caliber options, Desert Sting uses aerodynamic tail control to reach the target
The P2 Desert Sting family consists of different variants including models 5, 8, 16 and 35 (distinguished by weight and warhead size) all based on the same technology building blocks. The weapons also employ GAINS guidance and semi-active lasers for accurate terminal guidance and moving target engagements. The weapons utilize a HALCON-designed stores interface unit (SIU) and can be deployed on multiple weapon (2 or 4) racks on aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles - independent of the level of integration with the aircraft.
An inertial measurement unit and global navigational satellite system measurements guide the system to the pre-programmed target coordinates. A semi-active laser seeker can optionally be fitted to enhance precision. These systems offer the flexibility of configuration with multiple fuze options, including impact, height-of-burst (HOB), and proximity.
