By
CPL Damian Shovell
 |
|
The
SM2 missile will be fitted to the Navy’s FFGs giving
Australia an interim airwarfare capability.
|
The
SM2 missile, which has been earmarked for the Navy’s FFGs
under the Defence Capability Review, has been described as the
world’s premier surface-to-air defence weapon.
The FFGs Mk 13 launcher and Mk92 fire control system will be modified
to fire the SM2.
The SM2 is primarily used for fleet area air defence and ship
self defence, but it also has an extended air defence capability
and it has a secondary anti-surface ship mission.
The SM2, which is extensively used by the US Navy, has consistently
demonstrated its effectiveness against targets from surface ships
to helicopters and manned aircraft.
It can also be used against in-coming missiles, from very low
to very high altitudes and from stationary to supersonic speeds,
under a variety of weather conditions, and across a spectrum of
electronic countermeasures environments.
SM2s use tail controls and a solid fuel rocket motor for propulsion
and maneuverability, and, in addition, extended range missiles
have a booster with thrust vector controls.
The significance of their vastly improved range over the current
SM1 is a force multiplier and will deliver significant capability
to defend maritime units and forces ashore.
