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Forças Armadas e Sistemas de Armas => Armadas/Sistemas de Armas => Tópico iniciado por: JLRC em Outubro 28, 2004, 10:37:49 pm

Título: SCALP-Naval : a nova capacidade estratégica da UE.
Enviado por: JLRC em Outubro 28, 2004, 10:37:49 pm
Scalp Naval: a New Strategic Capability for Europe’s Navies
 
 
(Source: MDBA; issued Oct. 27, 2004)
 
 
 To meet the French requirement for a long-range, naval land attack capability, MBDA is developing the ship and submarine-launched Scalp Naval. This missile system is being developed using the experience gained from the company’s highly successful Storm Shadow / Scalp EG air launched cruise missile already in service with the air forces of France and the UK and soon to enter service with those of Italy and Greece.  
 
Scalp Naval benefits from a high degree of commonality with Storm Shadow / Scalp EG particularly with regard to its propulsion and navigation systems as well as its high precision terminal guidance. As well as providing the land attack capability on the French AVT (Actions Vers la Terre) version of its future multi-mission FREMM frigates, Scalp Naval will also provide the same capability on the French navy’s six future Barracuda nuclear powered attack submarines. System development has already started and a series of compatibility trials with the platform have already been carried out.  
 
During a visit to MBDA’s Velizy facility near Paris in France at the end of September 2004, Madame Alliot-Marie, the French Minister of Defence, saw the first Scalp Naval prototypes with its booster, its submarine launch capsule and its surface launch container.  
 
When integrated on a frigate, Scalp Naval will be launched from a multi-purpose, vertical launcher also capable of launching a mix of Aster 15 and Aster 30 air-defence missiles as required. In this respect, the launcher is viable not only for the Italian navy on its version of the FREMM but also for the Royal Navy too as both navies are committed to the Aster naval air defence system. For submarine launch, Scalp Naval, housed in its own launch capsule, will be fired from the submarine’s torpedo tubes  
 
Scalp Naval, a missile system in the 1,000 km plus class, will be of essential strategic significance to France and to any other European countries that might eventually deploy such a capability. The ability to carry out high precision, deep penetrative strikes from both air and naval platforms confers the necessary degree of operational flexibility required in handling the type of complex threats encountered today and envisaged for the future. In addition, a naval presence provides a permanence in theatre.  
 
From 2007 the French navy will be able to integrate this deep strike capability on the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle which will deploy the Scalp EG-armed naval Rafale combat aircraft. In 2011 the navy’s operational effectiveness will be further complemented by a fully flexible capability with Scalp Naval on surface platforms and then on submarines.  
 
Following the decision of the French navy to launch the Scalp Naval land attack cruise missile programme in February 2002 and the subsequent signing of a two-year Project Definition and Risk Reduction (PDRR) study contract in September of the same year, MBDA has successfully carried out a range of studies and hardware prototype/platform compatibility trials in readiness for moving the programme into its full scale development and production phase.  
 
Since 2002 MBDA has been carrying out a range of feasibility studies into a common missile baseline to meet both vertical launch from the French navy’s new frigates (FREMM) and for launch from a torpedo tube from the new submarine (Barracuda). Scalp Naval has benefited from a high degree of commonality with the highly successful and operationally proven air-launched Storm Shadow / Scalp EG cruise missile from which it is derived as well as from MBDA’s Aster air-defence programme which has seen the development of the Sylver vertical launch module range. A Sylver A70 launcher will house Scalp Naval as well as a mix of Aster 15 and Aster 30 air-defence missiles if required.  
 
Thanks to this commonality involving many of the subsystems, particularly guidance, avionics, the warhead and mission planning, much of the technical risk has already been removed from Scalp Naval. As a result, a booster test bench firing can take place as soon as December 2004 and submarine capsule separation trials as soon as February 2005. A full-scale development and production contract is expected imminently as delivery of the first missile is scheduled for 2010 with the first French FREMM having full missile capability in 2011. In due course 250 Scalp Naval missiles will be delivered to the French navy, 200 for the FREMM and 50 for the Barracuda.  
 
The advantages of Scalp Naval combined with Storm Shadow / Scalp EG as a single family of long-range weapons are manifold. With a set of common industrial tools and models and the existence of a single project team managing day-to-day collaboration, significant customer cost savings can be accrued when compared to the separate sourcing of different missile types. Larger unit quantities across the whole missile family will enable MBDA to open up competition to a wider range of suppliers thereby optimising the effectiveness and economy of the component supply chain. Most significantly, spiral system development to meet emerging requirements will see enhancements shared across the family.  
 
Operationally and tactically there are also clear arguments for the use of a combined naval and air-launched capability. Both Scalp Naval and Storm Shadow / Scalp EG will use the same targeting facility, mission planning will be a common function requiring limited customisation for either missile variant. Tactically, the mix of air and naval strike platforms offers the necessary flexibility to deal with modern complex threats. Air platforms can be deployed rapidly and deep into the theatre of operation. A naval presence sends its own clear message to a potential adversary and provides a permanence in several theatres. Additionally, while operating from international waters a naval platform is free from the diplomatic constraints usually placed on aircraft needing to get clearance for use of airspace.  
 
With an annual turnover exceeding EUR 2 billion, a forward order book of over EUR 14 billion and over 70 customers world wide, MBDA is a world leading, global missile systems company. MBDA currently has 45 missile system and countermeasure programmes in operational service and has proven its ability as prime contractor to head major multi-national projects.  
 
MBDA is jointly owned by BAE Systems (37.5%), EADS (37.5%) and FINMECCANICA (25%).  
 
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