FLUG REVUE February 2006: IRIS-T deliveries begin

February 2006

IRIS-T: DELIVERIES HAVE STARTED

By Stefan Petersen

“This is a good day for the Luftwaffe,” said Air Vice Marshal Klaus-Peter Stieglitz at the ceremony marking the occasion of delivery of the first IRIS-T to Fighter Wing 73 (FW 73) “Steinhoff” in Laage near Rostock. “IRIS-T is not only the most advanced short-range air-to-air missile currently available, but it is also an emblem of the capability of the European defence industry,” said the Chief of Air Staff.

IRIS-T on Eurofighter

As well as the Federal Republic of Germany, five other nations – Sweden, Greece, Norway, Italy and Spain – are all involved on the programme. Between them, the six nations have ordered 3,150 IRIS-T missiles, the last of which is expected to be delivered in 2011.

The prime contractor is Diehl BGT Defence in Überlingen by Lake Constance, which has also developed the infrared seeker. It leads the European industrial consortium with subcontractors from the participating program nations including Saab Bofors Dynamics in Sweden, NAMMO in Norway, MBDA-IT, LITAL, Magnaghi, Simmel in Italy, SENER, ICSA and EXPAL in Spain, INTRACOM, HAI as well as HDS in Greece. Each program partner has unrestricted access to the project data. Production has been spread among the partner nations in proportion to the quantity that each has ordered.

In January 2003, the Bundestag passed a resolution approving the purchase of 1,250 missiles for the Luftwaffe's Eurofighters and Tornados, as a result of which the German procurement programme will have a total volume of around Euro550 million. Each individual missile comes with a price tag of Euro300,000.

The IRIS-T (Infrared Imaging System – Tail/Thrust Vector Control) is optimised for the engagement of aerial targets at a distance of 25 km. At the heart of the system is an imaging infrared seeker head which has an acquisition range five times greater than the AIM-9L Sidewinder. It is linked to a powerful computer that enables image processing. The result is that IRIS-T is able to distinguish between the actual target and chaff and flares and to guide itself independently to the target once released. Extreme agility thanks to a combination of thrust vector and aerodynamic control are additional features of this “fire-and-forget” missile.

“IRIS-T was developed to be fully interoperable with the Sidewinder. Every aircraft that is able to carry and fire the Sidewinder can also fire IRIS-T,” according to Air Vice Marshal Stieglitz, who singled out the very high visual acquisition range for praise. “With the helmet-mounted display in the Eurofighter, it can be released by simply glancing over one's shoulder and successfully engage an airborne target behind the own aircraft.”

Stieglitz also underlined the good cooperation between industry and armed forces on this project and pointed out that the programme had been successfully completed on budget and on schedule. “Integration of IRIS-T into our platforms – the Gripen for Sweden, the F-16 for Greece and Norway, the F-18 for Spain, the Tornado for Germany and the Eurofighter for Italy, Spain and Germany – is already under way and will soon be complete,” said the Air Vice Marshal before entrusting the missile into the care of Group Captain Günter Katz, commander of FW 73. “Here in Laage the operational testing and evaluation of IRIS-T on the Eurofighter is now beginning, while tests on the Tornado will follow in a few months' time.”

In the mid-1990s, Diehl BGT Defence decided to design a new short-range missile, based on own studies. In 1996, the definition phase began, which was followed by the 4-year development phase in 1998, in which Greece, Italy, Canada, Norway and Sweden participated. In 2002, Spain joined the IRIS-T consortium and Canada left it. In January 2003 the Bundestag approved the German procurement plan, and in October of the same year the six participating nations agreed to proceed to preparations for serial production. Finally in December 2004 the contract for serial production was signed. Its total value is around Euro1 billion and it will go a long way towards securing Diehl's core missile competencies.

Diehl BGT Defence considers IRIS-T to be the nucleus of a family concept for modern guided missiles. The surface-launched IRIS-T SL (Surface Launched) version fulfills the German Air Force's new requirements for ground-based, medium-range air defence within the US-German-Italian MEADS (Medium Extended Air Defence System) program.

While IRIS-T SL is a medium-range, surface-to-air missile, IRIS-T SLS has been designed as a really short-range missile for an air-defence system which uses IRIS-T without any modifications.

The new-generation missile, LFK NG, has been designed for the Army's air defence. Its high-sensitivity IR seeker enables direct hits against targets with low-intensity IR signature such as fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, missiles and drones at long range and behind cover. LFK NG is currently being developed by Diehl BGT Defence and EADS LFK within the context of an experimental study.

The IDAS (Interactive Defence and Armament for Submarines) missile system can be used from a submerged submarine to successfully engage enemy anti-submarine helicopters, surface vessels and land targets near the coast. IDAS is a technology demonstration program financed by government and industry, which is scheduled to go into development in 2007.

From page 43 of FLUG REVUE 2/2006

Last updated 12 January 2006

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