Article Posted on : - Jul 09, 2014

An MBDA photo of the CAMM guided firing.

PARIS (BNS): European missile maker MBDA has for the first time carried out two successful guided firings by the Sea Ceptor air defence system, validating the weapon's performance.

The tests, conducted at the land-based Vidsel range facilities in Sweden on 29th May and 5th June, involved two Common Anti-air Modular Missiles (CAMM) deployed by the Sea Ceptor system.

The firings were the first seeker guided firings for the CAMM, including using its two-way data link to communicate with the Sea Ceptor system, MBDA said.

The trial demonstrated the functionality of Sea Ceptor's Command and Control (C2) system and its ability to process data from a third party radar and then command an engagement by a CAMM missile.

Both the CAMMs performed as expected, with their active Radio Frequency (RF) seeker acquiring the targets shortly after launch and staying in track until they intercepted their respective targets, the missile manufacturer said.

While the Royal Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy have placed order for the CAMMs to be used in their Sea Ceptor systems, it will also be deployed with the British Army with the Future Local Area Air Defence System (FLAADS) Land system.

The missile has range of over 25 km and provides 360 degree coverage. It can reach speeds up to Mach 3.