Bolt from a more distant blue: between the two extremes of low-cost guided bombs (see Armada 1/2002) and expensive long-range cruise missiles (3/2001) there exists a need for cost-effective tactical air-to-ground guided weapons that can deliver suitable warheads precisely and from a safe distance against high-value, hardened, mobile or multiple targets by day and night and under all weather conditions.

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Airborne Warfare

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Bolt from a more distant blue: between the two extremes of low-cost guided bombs (see Armada 1/2002) and expensive long-range cruise missiles (3/2001) there exists a need for cost-effective tactical air-to-ground guided weapons that can deliver suitable warheads precisely and from a safe distance against high-value, hardened, mobile or multiple targets by day and night and under all weather conditions.

Even when released from high altitude, simple ballistic ordnance has a forward throw of less than ten kilometres, and similar distances may be achieved in loft manoeuvres from low altitude. Such figures are clearly inadequate for attacks against ground targets that have modern Short-range Air Defence (Shorad) systems. Achieving longer air-to-ground ranges depends on giving the weapon better aerodynamics or some means of propulsion, or a combination of the two. The following discussion relates to those missiles that provide a range substantially greater than ten kilometres, but do not employ turbine engines, which are associated with ranges well in excess of 100 kilometres and for present purposes are excluded as cruise missiles.

Conceptually, the first step in keeping the attacking aircraft outside the range of Shorad systems is to give the warhead fixed wings, a simple guidance system and control surfaces. However, wingspan is then restricted by the proximity of other stores, and lift:drag ratio is limited accordingly. Eads/LFK was a leader in this field, first exploiting the lifting body effect of a rectangular-section submunition-dispenser with the MW2 (M...

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