The December 12th test took place on the
DGA
missile tests
site of Biscarrosse. The target was an all-terrain vehicle. Remotely
piloted, it was illuminated by the aircraft's Damocles pod during the
final seconds of the AASM's flight. The vehicle was traveling at different
speed, reaching 50 km/h at the time of impact, when it was more than
15 km from the Rafale. The weapon was launched from the aircraft at
an extreme off-axis angle of 90° and hit the target at an oblique
angle.
Using its powerful algorithms for detection and flightpath slaving
to the laser point, plus its excellent agility, the AASM hit the target
with an accuracy of less than a meter. This performance qualified
the complete laser firing system under typical conditions, with the
target illumination being carried out by the aircraft firing the weapon.
This new GPS/inertial/laser version further expands the AASM family,
which already counts two other versions qualified on Rafale: GPS/inertial
and GPS/inertial/infrared. It features a laser seeker in place of
the infrared imager on the latter version, and also has tracking algorithms
which are activated during the terminal phase.
The AASM SBU-54 Hammer marks an operational breakthrough in relation
to current precision air-to-ground weapons. It is capable of engaging
moving land targets, or high-speed agile marine targets, with accuracy
to within a meter (1), especially during opportunity strikes, as proven
during recent conflicts (2).
The AASM Hammer family of weapons is developed and produced by Sagem.
It comprises range augmentation and guidance kits fitted to standard
250 kg bombs, and eventually to 125, 500 and 1,000 kg bombs.
(1) During a test on April 21, 2011, impact was demonstrated on
a simulated target moving at over 80 km/h. See video above.
(2) For Harmattan operation, French side of NATO's Unified Protector
operation in Libya as part of the UN's 1973 resolution, the French
Air Force and Navy carried out 225 launches of AASM Hammer missiles
from Rafale fighters (Defense Committee of the French National Assembly,
report of October 4, 2011 – testimony of the Ministry of Defense),
using the INS / GPS and INS / GPS / Infrared guidance versions.
