French Navy Tests New Exocet Missile

Naval-Technology ^ | 25 March 2010

[sukhoi-30mki]

French Navy Tests New Exocet Missile 25 March 2010

The French Navy has successfully carried out a test launch of the first block 3 variant of its Exocet MM40 anti-ship missile.

The navy said the missile was launched from the Horizon Class Chevalier Paul frigate from the Isle of Levant, off Toulon.

The Exocet block 3 is a surface-to-surface missile that features open ocean, littoral and coastal land attack capabilities with an extended range out to 180km.

The anti-ship missile incorporates stealth features and operates on the "fire and forget" principle, it can fly at 315m a second and carry warheads of up to 165kg.

In December 2008, the DGA awarded a contract to missile manufacturer MBDA to upgrade 45 block-2-version of the Exocet MM40 missiles into block 3.

Deliveries of all the upgraded missiles are scheduled for between December 2010 and June 2013.

[sukhoi-30mki]

The Chevalier Paul

The Exocet Block-III

[jagusafr]

“operates on the “fire and forget” principle”

I’ve tried for years to use the term “fire and forget JAG” in an OPR, but the meaning just doesn’t come out right...you know it’s not working when you read it a second time and start giggling uncontrollably.

Colonel, USAFR

[SMARTY]

All they had to do was look at film of the Sheffield going down.

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

“All they had to do was look at film of the Sheffield going down”

HUH???

What the h3ll does the HMS Sheffield have to do with this article?

[SMARTY]

Falklands...??? Sheffield sunk????? Wasn’t it?

[Wingy]

HMS Sheffield was a Type 42 guided missile destroyer. An Exocet missile destroyed HMS Sheffield during the Falklands War – the first major British casualty of the Falklands War conflict.

Hmmm, a slight connection.

Just sayin'.

[Eye of Unk]

A steel hull and superstructure might have survived, unfortunately the Sheffield used a lot of Aluminum in its upper decks which burned at very high heat.

The Exocet is a very nasty weapon, unless we get ship born lasers strong enough and with a fast adaptive tracking system the best defense right now is the CIWS. Well I would say we have the tracking that so far is more than adequate, depends on what new software this Exocet is capable of.

[STD]

You did notice that the The Chevalier Paul was turning away in the above photograph? I couldn’t see the ever present ‘white flag’ all French naval units eventually fly.

[Little Ray]

Exocets are sub-sonic and have relatively small warheads. The REALLY scary missiles are the large, super-sonic missiles the Sov, er, Russians build, like the P-700 Granit or its successors.
For a catastrophe, there’s nothing like a seven-ton missile moving at Mach 4 with a 750 kg. warhead.

[Eye of Unk]

Very true, I do think the future will have more rail gun usage with hypervelocity kinetic slugs, get anything fast enough it doesn’t need explosives.

[Little Ray]

I have saved off a number of documents regarding railguns and future naval warfare.

Aside from the technical issues of the railgun itself (which are are almost overcome), the power requirements seem to be quite large. Apparently the process of firing the weapon will divert enough power from the turbines to slow the ship.

Given the anti-aircraft and anti-missile potential of railguns, as well their capabilities against ships and ground targets, maybe we’ll see the rise of nuclear powered battleships?

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

I know where, when, and why the Sheffield went down; what’s that got to do with this new missile test?

Why would a video of the Sheffield sinking replace a video of this new missile??

(Don’t say it’s because it was sunk by an exocet; it’s still a non sequitur.)

[SMARTY]

Off your meds today?

[valkyry1]

Those sort of power requirements might even tax a nuclear reactor. It seems to me they wold have to develop something that incorporates advanced capacitors also.