MBDA's Meteor Still a Bright Star and No Passing Fancy
At MBDA Missile Systems the Meteor BVRAAM (beyond visual range air-to-air missile) program remains a cornerstone of the company's plans for future business and technology advancement. The ramjet-powered Meteor is designed to fight and win the future air battle over distances of 100 km and more. When it enters service—first production deliveries are now set for 2011—it should be a weapon without peer in terms of performance and killing power.
Despite some secretive signs of renewed U.S. interest in ramjet air-to-air missile development, the Meteor is still in the vanguard of technology and demonstrated achievement. Already it is slated to be the primary BVR weapon for the Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab Gripen and Dassault Rafale—but MBDA is also examining other potential platforms including the Joint Strike Fighter. MBDA describes the JSF as a key platform for the next decade and sees the Meteor as a potential weapon for the future "Block 5" JSF configuration.
The six-nation Meteor team (comprising France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK) is being led by MBDA Missile Systems in co-operation with Sweden's Saab Bofors Dynamics. The lead customer for the missile is the UK, which awarded a €1.79 billion ($2.2 billion) prime contract to MBDA in December 2002. The other European partners are co-funding the seven-and-a-half-year development phase and are all expected to place orders for the missile in the coming years.
At its Stevenage facility near London, MBDA has drawn together a 250-strong team in a purpose-built center to work on every aspect of the program. Funded integration contracts have been issued by the authorities in the UK, Sweden and France to equip the Eurofighter, Gripen and Rafale with the Meteor. Under the eyes of six governments the missile has now passed two system design reviews and all major sub-systems have also been approved.
During last year's Paris Air Show, MBDA revealed a revised—and final—configuration for the Meteor incorporating an aerodynamically pure "wingless" design. Since then the missile has undergone substantial wind-tunnel and CFD testing (at Warton and Modane) to validate performance across its varied and demanding flight regime. This work has now all been competed. Fit trials with the Gripen and Eurofighter have been signed off and the first system hardware, a missile simulator, has been delivered to support the next steps in Gripen integration.
The Gripen will play a central role in Meteor testing. The Swedish fighter will be the first launch platform for the missile and will undertake all the initial airborne trials—an indicator of its proven in-service status with the Swedish air force. This will see a Gripen make the first four demonstration launches in 2005/06, before the first fully guided Meteor tests begin in 2008.
Guy Griffiths, MBDA's COO, notes that "the Meteor is now into its second year of full development. In that time there have been about 350 engineering milestones stipulated in the contract, per annum, and they have all been met on time—or early."
