MBDA has presented the Atlas-RC/LIC2ORNE combination which, together with the Mistral missile, provides protection to light, mobile units.
The company state that Mistral is an extremely reliable fire-and-forget air defence missile, with a success rate of nearly 95%.
“Equipped with an infrared imaging seeker and advanced image processing capabilities, the Mistral offers excellent countermeasure resistance and can engage low thermal signature targets such as UAVs and turbojet-powered missiles at long range, in addition to the usual combat aircraft and helicopter targets.”
The Atlas-RC is an automated turret, carrying two ready-to-fire Mistrals and controlled from the cabin of the vehicle. It is equipped with day/night sensors for fire control and tracking.
LIC²ORNE is a command and control unit, developed from a set of software components that have already been trialled on MBDA’s Mistral and VL MICA air defence systems.
“It can coordinate up to 8 Atlas-RC systems and connect them to higher-level command systems, including via advanced links such as Link 16 or satellite links. With its ability to use radar or electro-optic sensors, LIC²ORNE ensures that the Atlas-RC turret has sufficient early warning to make full use of the Mistral’s firing envelope.”
The company say that thanks to LIC2ORNE’s open architecture, MBDA has been able, “in just a few months”, to build in defences against mini and micro UAVs.
“Drawing on the lessons of recent conflicts in Europe or the Middle East,” says Francis Bordachar, MBDA’s Military Advisor Land Systems.
“The Atlas-RC/LIC²ORNE combination is designed to provide a real air defence and engagement capability in the lower layer while ensuring very high mobility to accompany and protect mobile detachments and front line units. The deployment of an air defence system as close as possible to ground units is once again becoming a necessity, and a key survivability factor for ground forces.”
I thought MMP was replacing Mistral??? Why are they still developing mistral? Not a subject Im up to date one.
MMP is the Milan replacement.
Mistral is the French equivalent to Stinger.
I think you might find that MMP is replacing MILAN in an Anti Tank role
Not sure why these mobile SAM platforms, integrated into recon/light vehicles have never been used before.
Light enough to be underslung a chinook, mobile, high asset returns, road convoy protection…would have been ideal if they existed during The Falklands Campaign, as part of troop Carrier/Beach landing equipment, instead of fumbling about with Rapier…
IF THE SUCCESS RATE IS TRUE THEN CAR PARK OF THEN ON THE DECK OF THE q.e MAY BE JUST THE JOB, BUT I DOUBT THE AIR BOSS WOULD BE TOO HAPPY ABOUT THE LINES PAINTED ON HIS FLIGHT DECK.
WE COULD HAVE DONE WITH THIS KIND OF THING AT SAN CARLOS IN 1982. THE RAPIERS WEREN’T INSTALLED ANYWHERE QUICKLY ENOUGH TO PROTECT THE SHIPS IN’BOMB ALLEY’
Your Caps-lock is jammed on!
As for Rapier and the Falklands, even if the system had worked perfectly it probably wouldn’t have had much success. Where they were emplaced didn’t favour the engagement envelope of the system, at times the Argentines were flying lower than the Rapier batteries on the hills surrounding San Carlos.
The trip south was not kind to the carefully calibrated electronics of what was still a fairly new system, what the war did show was they system need significant work to get truly up to scratch.
The irony is as Rear Admiral Chris Parry (rtd) points out in his 8 bells lecture the loss of corporate memory had serious consequences. For example if they had 100 of the Barrage Balloons being stored in Abingdon Airport at the time set up over San Carlos they wouldn’t have had anything like the same problems with the Argentines. Also simple things like the ships making smoke were forgotten.