An elite AAM-Derby Missile

[nightcrawler]

Known as Alto or Derby, this Israeli active radar-guided air-to-air missile (AAM) isa collaborative effort between Rafael, the state's armament development agency, and Israel Aircraft Industries MBT. Officially acknowledged in 1998, the project has been underway for at least a decade. This missile's design shares considerable commonality with Python4, though adding mid-body wings. This medium-range weapon, with a maximum effective engagement envelope of about 50 km, may have already entered service with the Israeli Air Force. Israel is marketinga variant of the missile for export, with offers to the Philippines and India, while South Korea and China also be potential customers.
Israel's Rafael has unveiled its Derby beyond-visual-rangeair-to-air missile which is also capable of being employed for short-range engagements.
Derby, the name given to the missile for the export market, employs an active radar seeker developed by Israel Aircraft Industries. It is an all-weather system witha look-down/shoot-down capability, according to Yigal Ben-Hanan, Rafael's director of air-to-air and defense systems. Derby also has a programmable advanced electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) capability. Ben-Hanan said Derby can be operated in two modes.
One is a lock-on after launch mode for long-range engagements in which the missile employs inertial guidance immediately after launch until the seeker is activated and homes in on the target. In the lock-on before launch for short-range engagements, Derby's seeker can be slaved to the aircraft's radar or the pilot's helmet mounted cueing system. The seeker is activated before launch and guides the missile all the way to the target. According to company officials, Derby has capabilities similar to the Rafael's third-generation Python3 infrared-guided missile for short-range engagements and matches or exceeds that of current-generation AIM-9 Sidewinders. Derby's "no escape" envelope is similar to the maximum range of the Python4, from which it is derived.
Ben-Hanan said Derby employs subcomponents and other technology from the Python4, including the warhead and proximity fuse. Python's rocket motor was also adapted with "a little bit more energy" for Derby's beyond-visual-range profile. The missile can be fired from the same rail launcher used for the Python4 or be adapted to other launchers. Derby has a diameter of 16 cm. (6.3 in.), is 362 cm. (12 ft.) long and weighs 118 kg. (260 lb.).
Development of Derby began in the early 1980's, according to Ben-Hanan. A few years later, South Africa joined the development program and provided funding. All relevant development work was shared with South Africa.
The missile has undergone flight testing on an Israel Air Force F-16 and is adaptable to other lighter weight fighters such as the F-5 and Mirage. Integration work has already been done with the F-5. Rafael officials said Derby has already been sold to other customers and is "in operational use." But they declined to specify with whom except to say that the missile is not yet in service with the Israel Air Force. India flies the Mirage, and Israel is upgrading its MiG-21 fleet. In addition, China builds the Python3 as its PL-8, and Taiwan has just activated its first Mirage wing. Several countries in South America, Asia and the Middle East still fly the F-5.
The Israeli air force has been involved in the program from the beginning, including system definition, design reviews and flight tests, Ben-Hanan said. It has decided to purchase the missile, but has not yet funded procurement. Israel is already procuring Raytheon's Amraam, which is a similar missile from the
U.S. Its single squadron of F-15Is is equipped with the U.S. beyond-visual-rangeradar-guided missile.

Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Ben-Israel, director of R&D for the Israel Defense Forces, said the rationale for developing Derby was to obtaina qualitative edge over potential adversaries and have full control of the technology. He noted that once Israel acquired
Amraam from the U.S. it would only be a short time before its neighbors obtain the missile.
Additionally, Israel does not have control over the ECCM modes of the Amraam, Ben-Israel said. The
U.S. protects the "secrets" of the missile's source codes "very well." Missiles are like robots, according to Ben-Israel. "If you know how it thinks, you can defeat it with electronic warfare."
"If you have your own missile, that is not a problem," he said. "We control the ECCM and certain modes of the missile. That gives us an advantage." Israel will still acquire Amraam, which Ben-Israel said isa very good missile, with its Foreign Military Sales credits and try to optimize its usage.
Ben-Israel noted that Derby is also lighter than Amraam and more suitable for F-16s. Brig. Gen. Amos Yadlin, deputy commander of the Israel Air Force, pointed out that the U.S. Air Force decided years ago that the F-16 would not have a beyond-visual-range missile until Amraam came. And during this time, Rafael began developing Derby.
Once it became available, the air force did an analysis of cost and capabilities and the need for an independent source of equipment, Yadlin said. The conclusion was that Derby should be on the interceptor fleet. He said it could be employed on the F-15I as well as the F-16.
A purchase of additional F-15Is is still a possibility, Yadlin said, if Boeing's production line stays open, and Israel does not pick up an option for more F-16Is. But, Amos Yaron, defense ministry director general, said, "Although there has not been a final decision," he thinks they will exercise the F-16 option. Israel has until the end of the year to decide whether to exercise an option for up to 60 additional F-16Is from the U.S. under the Peace Marble 5 program. The options are for a guaranteed price, and the funding has to be spent in 2004-05.

The seeker for the Derby missile is a state of the art active radar seeker for all weather, all aspect air-to*air missiles. Advanced seeker performance enables engagement of several targets from short ranges to BVR with autonomous search, acquisition and tracking airborne targets, as well as look down capability.
Two seeker modes of operation are available and provide the Derby missile with excellent operational flexibility:
-Lock On After Launch (LOAL) optimized for medium range targets.
-Lock On Before Launch (LOBL) allowing superior performance at short range.
The seekers advanced Electronic Counter Counter Measure (ECCM) capability is programmable and can be modified to the customers requirements and new threats.
The seeker for the Derby missile employs advanced signal processing, is lightweight and has low power consumption. It is now operational following extensive testing and firings of the Derby missile.

Main Features
Active radar seeker
Both medium and short range missile All weather performance Look-Down/Shoot-Down capability LOBL mode for tight dogfights Advanced programmable ECCM Lightweight Fully developed, tested and proven missile

 

[Contrarian]

Derby is the BVRAAM for IN Harriers.

 

[nightcrawler]

Salamz
I have read a thread regading chinese seeking 5th Gen AAMs where Python5 was frequently discussed so here are its details:
Python5
The Python 5 is the latest generation of RAFAEL's short range air-to-air missiles. It employs the most recent cutting-edge technologies in the field of air-to-air missiles.. The missile is a result of intensive research and long experience, to ensure high levels of air superiority. The work on the Python 5 air-to-air missile began in 1997, although first thoughts had been raised in the early 90's. One of the most significant decisions about the new missile was choosing the Python4's aero dynamical configuration. The designers had realized that the Python 4's unique configuration had yet to exploit its full potential. Both missiles rely on aero dynamics rather than on vector steering -a technology which suffers from several problems such as relying on the rocket's fuel that can run out and leave the missile ineffective. The Python 5 missile's aero dynamical configuration contributes a lot to its performance even when its rocket stops working. Moreover, using the same configuration saves millions of dollars in the R&D process.


Agility
Then what makes the Python 5 so revolutionary?
By definition, the Python 5 is considered to be a short range air-to-air missile, yet its range exceeds regular air-to-air missiles, and is more close to what is technically called BVR (beyond visual range) missiles. Those missiles can be shot upon targets which are not visually seen at the moment of launch, and are acquired by the missile itself during its flight path. New technologies implemented in the Python 5 give it maneuvering and launching skills unimaginable just few years ago. Instead of talking about certain “killing hemisphere” we are talking about an ability to shoot any target at any angle, including backwards launch (!). This ability is possible by applying LOAL (lock on after launch) technology. In oppose to LOBL (lock on before launch), that is used in all short range air-to*air missiles (excluding the Python 5 of course) in LOAL mode the pilot can launch a missile without being locked on the target, by getting the aircraft's estimated location from an array of sensors which are deployed on the launching aircraft. From the moment the Python 5 is launched, its head seeker scans the designated area constantly while it flies in a direct path to the estimated location of the target. Once the missile “sees” the target, it employs its unique, first of its kind, electro-optical head-seeker and locks on the target. Then the missile switches to a close hunt combat which holds no future to the target aircraft.

Eyes
Conventional air-to-air missiles see targets as dots -a fact which makes it hard for the missile to tell between true or false targets .The Python 5's head seeker literally sees a clear image of the target and background, giving it an incredible advantage over other missiles by authenticating the target, thus reducing the chance of being mislead by counter measures. Using this technology allows the luxury of locking on a target after the launch. The transition to this unique technology required a development by RAFAEL, which exists in only several countries in the world. Using an electro-optical head seeker also makes it easier to locate and lock on low-heat signature aircrafts such as UAVs, helicopters or even cruise missiles. These aircrafts can fly very close to the ground and can be very hard to detect using regular head seekers. The Python 5 with the electro-optical head can easily accomplish that, by creatinga sharp target image and locking on it. In order to achieve perfect performance and tracking ability, the engineers at RAFAEL tested the Python 5 against all advanced counter measures. Usually this is a tough challenge, as the missile would have to handle counter measures in the future. But that was not an impossible challenge to RAFAEL, which also develops the future counter measures. The unique head-seeker also extends the lethality of the missile by aiming it to the target's most vulnerable areas. Most heat seeking missiles tend to home on the hottest spot of the aircraft which is normally the rear exhaust system. In modern combat history, some aircrafts that were hit by a missile in that area, managed to survive the flight until the landing. The Python 5, which acquires a sharp image of the target can home on the most critical areas of the aircraft, such as the cockpit or the central area, and significantly improve the chances for a shot down.

Brains
Another key element of the super advanced Python 5 is its computer system. In order to support its sophisticated head-seeker, the engineers had to fit a great amount of computing power into the missile. In fact, the computer of the Python 5 requires a hundred times more computing power than the one installed in the Python 4. One of the fears of the designers was systems overheating, which could halt all the development process. In order to maintain the temperatures low, the algorithms were simplified so that the calculations would be easier to perform. The designers took in consideration the fact that in a few years the computers would be more powerful than those existed during the development, and indeed during that period the computers in the missile had been replaced twice. The result was amazing -an on board computer which is more powerful than the aircrafts computers of the Israeli air force altogether.

Track record
When the time came to start conducting test sessions of the missile, the designers were pretty much confident with their missile. Normally, the testing part of a missile is one of the most expensive parts of the development. Each launch costs millions of dollars, and only few superpowers can afford such costs without thinking twice. The Americans conduct dozens of launches when developing a new missile and RAFAEL does not have these amounts of money to perform endless launches. In a regular test session, the missile is tested progressively, thru several phases which start from simple ones and end with the toughest. The Python 5 was ready to deal witha tough challenge – being tested in a complicated scenario right from the beginning. Instead of going thru all the regular test phases, the Python 5 was ready to take a test which seemed to be impossible to several people at the Israeli air force. The target was a low-signature UAV which was flying at low altitude in a hot desert area. Not like the previous test of the Python 4, the UAV was not equipped with a flare to make it easier on the missile. When looking at the video of the head-seeker, it is very hard to see the target in a human eye. The missile was about to be launched from an F-16, flying 15,000 feet above the UAV. According to plan, the Python 5 was launched from the F-16, and started to fly sharply downwards, chasing the target. In the video, the UAV can be identified only few seconds before the missile reaches it, but the Python 5 locked on the target long before that. The test was crowned to bea complete success, and the Python 5 proved itself to be the best air-to-air missile in the world. Until then, no missile in the world could perform such shot down. But that was just the beginning. The second missile was the most amazing one. For security reasons the second test cannot be described, but what can be said is that for the first time in the world, a heat-seeking air-to-air missile managed to lock on a target – after the launch (LOAL). The missile showed its performance in the extreme corners of its flight envelope. There may be more that this missile could do, but what the Python 5 did there, will probably not be done by other missiles in some years.

The Python 5 is a phenomenon in the missile industry. Like a natural born athlete it has all the skills that make it the best. The engineers at RAFAEL never passed him thru conventional tests. They directly sent it to run at the Olympics.

Length 3096 mm
Span 640mm
Body 16 cm
Weight 103.6 kg (warhead over 11 kg)
Guidance Type Electro-Optical
Model 1 x spr.
Speed 4 Mach
Range More than 20 km

 

[nightcrawler]

Hey there senior fellow the point isn't regarding its integration into Harriers rather it has already incoporated in Tornadoes but the real point is its lethality from an aiplane platform!!