Article Posted on : - May 12, 2011

Dual Mode Brimstone missile

LONDON (BNS): Britain's Ministry of Defence has ordered a batch of Dual Mode Brimstone missiles for the Royal Air Force last year, a media report said.

A report by Defense News quoting Procurement Minister Peter Luff said an order to convert 150 standard Brimstone missiles to the Dual Mode variant was signed in December last year but has placed no follow-on order since then.

Responding to a question in Parliament Luff also said MoD was in discussion with missile supplier MBDA to make the stock available for operations.

According to the report, MBDA has large stocks of the standard Brimstone missile left over from a development and production contract awarded for the anti-armour weapon in 1996.

The conversion work to the dual mode configuration normally takes between six and nine months, Luff said, adding, the modified weapons would be delivered in monthly batches at a cost of between 35,000 pounds ($57,700) and 45,000 pounds per missile.

Dual Mode Brimstone is an air-to-ground precision attack weapon initially developed by MBDA following an Urgent Operational Requirement issued by the UK RAF for an upgrade to its existing Brimstone capability. The weapon is operational on RAF Tornado GR4 strike aircraft deployed on operations over Afghanistan and Libya, the report said.