The AASM (in French, Modular Air-to-Ground Weapon) is a family of new-generation smart air-to-ground weapons. All the variants of the family can be fired from a standoff distance and can be fire-and-forget. Depending on each variant, the AASM can strike a fixed or moving target with extremely high precision, both day and night, under all conditions. Interoperable and combat proven, the AASM meets all the spectrum of Air Forces' needs at the tactical level.
French AASM - Sagem-
- Thread starter Gabriel92
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Well, offers greater targeting options which is better from an operational standpoint(although for the SBU-54 the GBU-54 is pretty much the same guidance options) as the JDAM is yet to mount a IIR seeker(although plenty of Mavericks and SLAM-ERs around yet with the SDB-II to provide that very ability in a more appropriate sized munition) . What it does hold over the JDAM for now is its ability to be launched from treetop height due to an inbuilt propulsion system. However, add something like that to the JDAM-ER. or SDB.. well. you have the same thing.
However, the real reason it costs that much is basic economies of scale, the JDAM is now over 20000 units or more in production.. how many AASMs are really there?
~1.748 AASM will be delivered. (Actually,+1.216 have been delivered.)
(More could be ordered to maintain the production of these bombs,because if the french air force and the navy don't order more or if any other nation doesn't order some of them,the plant where they are produced will close,in 2016.)
At the end, it is all resting on the Indian air force order if the AASM(for that matter the Rafale) are to survive beyond 2016.Although I heard that the Saudis were interested in getting the AASM for the Typhoon and F-15SA.
Funny relationship the Saudis..enticed Dassault to develop the excellent Mirage 4000 and then went ahead and bought the F-15.
C130
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IIR is good, but how often would you actually use that mode?? it's best when you can't see fog and smoke right???
AASM is good, but for the cost I'd stick with JDAM with ER wing kit.
cerberus
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IIR is very good. Not just for Fog and smoke.. but also for a majority of night and day attacks against vehicular targets. Which is why the SDB is going to get this capability by 2016.
sancho
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The propulsion is the main differentiator and also the reason why it's cost more (apart from the low numbers of course), since it makes AASM more to a missile rather than a bomb. A JDAM with a wing kit might offer similar range as AASM when both are launched at high altitude, but at low altitude it doesn't add the advantage of the propulsion kit. SPEAR 3 will have the same advantage over SDB for example, but with the same problem of higher costs too.
The French had developed a great weapon, but failed to develop it further with cost reduction in mind. If they had added a wing kit as an option, they could had reduced the costs, since that's most likely cheaper that the propulsion kit, which is not fixed anyway, but removable. They also didn't realised the trend going to smaller sized bomb kits, that allows larger loadouts, which is why the AASM 125 is pretty pointless, adding the same bomb kit to a smaller warhead doesn't make the bomb much cheaper nor increases the loadout.
