France Completes World's First Vertical Strike Of Laser-Guided AASM

[Marxist]

PARIS - France claimed a world-first vertical strike of a laser-guided AASM smart munition on July 9.

"The Direction Générale pour l'Armement (DGA) completed successfully Thursday June 17 2010 the first firing of an modular air to ground weapon (armament air sol modulaire - AASM) in a laser version at its Biscarosse site," the procurement office said in a statement. "This firing of a laser guided munition with a vertical impact constitutes a world first," the DGA said.

The firing was part of a feasibility study awarded to Safran group's Sagem in 2008.

A Rafale strike fighter flying from the DGA test flight center fired the laser guided AASM out at sea at a height of 13,000 ft and 25 km from the target at the Biscarosse missile test center. The target, made up of concrete blocks, was designated by a ground laser placed a few hundred meters away. A GPS reading had been entered which deliberately gave coordinates several tens of meters away from the target, to see whether the laser guidance would correct the targeting.

A vertical strike is intended to reduce damage and deaths in urban use, the DGA said. This version is also intended to be use against moving targets at sea or on ground.

A laser version of the AASM follows the initial GPS/inertial-guided AASM propelled bomb, and an infrared model is currently undergoing operational and technical tests.

Tests of the laser AASM will continue in the year.

France Completes World's First Vertical Strike Of Laser-Guided AASM - Defense News

 

[Marxist]

France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) defence procurement agency on June 17, 2010 carried out the first launch of the laser-guided variant of the Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (modular air-to-ground weapon, or AASM) at its test range at Biscarosse.

The launch of this laser-guided, vertical-impact (or top-attack) missile is a world first. It was carried out as part of a basic research program contract dubbed DASIGL (démonstrateur d'armement air-sol inertie GPS laser, or demonstrator of an air-to-ground inertial-GPS-laser weapon) that DGA awarded to Sagem (Safran Group) in 2008.

The laser-guided version is the third variant of the AASM air-launched weapon. The first version, designated “inertial-GPS,” was certified in 2008; it is now operational and is deployed with Frenc forces in Afghanistan. The second version, certified in 2009, is infra-red guided and its operational evaluation trials are currently ongoing.

The June 17 launch took place from DGA’s Biscarosse missile test range, where a Rafale combat aircraft operated by the DGA’s flight test center launched a laser AASM demonstrator at an altitude of 13,000 ft. (4,000 meters) and a distance of 25 kilometers from its intended target. Consisting of concrete blocks and a 1-square meter visual, the target was illuminated by a laser designator located at a distance of several hundred meters. The weapon’s guidance was purposely mis-initialized by offsetting the target’s GPS coordinated by several dozens of meters, so as to verify that the laser homing seeker functioned as intended by correcting this initial error. Dropping vertically onto the target, the AASM impacted less than one meter from its aiming point.

This is the first time that a laser-guided weapon hits its target from the top, and thus allows close control of the impact parameters while minimizing collateral effects. These features make the laser-guided AASM particularly suited for urban operations, while benefiting from the stand-off security of the two previous versions. This version of the AASM will also allow precision launches against highly maneuverable ground or naval targets, designated by ground illuminators or airborne targeting pods.

The DASIGL project will continue until the end of the year and will involve the firing of other laser AASM demonstrators against highly-mobile, maneuvering targets.

World Premiere: First Firing of an AASM Laser Demonstrator

 

[nomi007]

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