BRIMSTONE 2: Difference between revisions

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(Created page with "thumb|Dual Mode BRIMSTONE '''Brimstone''' is a ground or air-launched ground attack missile developed by MBDA UK for the UK's Royal Air Force. It was originally intended for "fire-and-forget" use against mass formations of enemy armour, using a millimetre wave (mmW) active radar homing seeker to ensure accuracy even against moving targets. Experience in Afghanistan led to the addition of laser guidance in the dual-mode Brimstone missile, allo...")
 
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[[File:Id brimstone dm.jpg|thumb|Dual Mode BRIMSTONE]]
[[File:Id brimstone dm.jpg|thumb|Dual Mode BRIMSTONE]]
'''Brimstone''' is a ground or air-launched ground attack missile developed by MBDA UK for the UK's Royal Air Force. It was originally intended for "fire-and-forget" use against mass formations of enemy armour, using a millimetre wave (mmW) active radar homing seeker to ensure accuracy even against moving targets. Experience in Afghanistan led to the addition of laser guidance in the dual-mode Brimstone missile, allowing a "spotter" to pick out specific and the highest priority targets, particularly useful to minimise collateral damage when friendly forces or civilians were in the area. The tandem shaped-charge warhead is much more effective against modern tanks than older similar weapons such as the AGM-65G Maverick missile. Three Brimstones are carried on a launcher that occupies a single weapon station, allowing a single aircraft to carry many missiles.
In March 2010 Brimstone was selected as the basis for the RAF's requirement under the Selective Precision Effects At Range (SPEAR) Capability 2 Block 1 programme. The Demonstration and Manufacture contract increased the missile's performance "significantly", and converted the warhead and rocket motor to use insensitive munitions. Brimstone 2 has an improved seeker, a more modular design and improvements to airframe and software for "an overall increase in performance with improvements in range and engagement footprint", including a "more than 200% increase" in maximum range. A five-release test campaign in October 2013 culminated in a successful strike against a pickup truck travelling at 70 mph (110 km/h) in a cluttered road environment. Brimstone 2 was planned to enter service on the Tornado in November 2015, and was further updated with an insensitive munition compliant rocket motor and warhead in July 2016. It was successfully integrated onto the Tornado GR4 and has trialed on the Eurofighter Typhoon and AH-64E Apache.


The original Brimstone could not be used in Afghanistan as the rules of engagement required a "man-in-the-loop". Under an Urgent Operational Requirement in 2008, modifications were made to the seeker and software of over 300 existing missiles to create Dual-Mode Brimstone. The new missiles can be laser guided according to the STANAG 3733 standard as well as retaining the millimetre wave seeker; the pilot can select either mode from the cockpit or use both simultaneously. Laser guidance allows specific enemy targets to be picked out in cluttered environments, the mmW radar ensures accuracy against moving targets.
In February 2016, integration trials with the Tornado GR4s saw 11 missiles fired at "[various] structures, a very small fast-moving vehicle, and [targets at the] edge of the weapon system’s performance envelope." All in all 10, or 91%, of the 11 missiles were successful; the only missile that missed its target was involved in a very short-range shot in which the missile's semi-active laser homing and millimetric-Wave seekers did not have enough time to effectively acquire its target.


The development and procurement of the original single-mode missiles cost £370m, a figure inflated by accounting charges relating to the delays. The development of the dual-mode version cost an additional £10m. ''The Daily Telegraph'' reported that the dual mode missiles cost £105,000, which is comparable to the cost of the AGM-65 Maverick; the MoD quote only a gross book value of £175,000, which includes development costs as well as the purchase cost of the missile. Upgrading a single-mode missile to dual mode costs between £35,000 and £45,000 plus VAT, depending on quantities ordered.
In July 2016, MBDA further proposed a new variant of Brimstone 2 for the AH-64E Apache. It would specifically be for non-armoured targets in land and sea domains, but will not compromise Brimstone's anti-armour capability. It will have a launch aircraft cockpit-selectable trajectory, which will allow line-of-sight engagement (flat trajectory) and high and low missile flight profiles to avoid close-in obstacles; a cockpit-selectable capability that allows the pilot to determine the elevation and impact angle on the target to maximise weapon effect; and a new set of warhead modes, which includes delayed, airburst, impact and proximity fuzing.
 
On 7th of June 2021 the British Army Announced that BRIMSTONE would not be equiping the new AH-64E fleet. They selected the US-built JAGM missile along with the new AGM-114R Hellfire.
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 55%;text-align:center; "
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 55%;text-align:center; "
! colspan="4" |Real World against Arma
! colspan="4" |Real World against Arma
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|-
|-
! style="text-align:right;" |Max Range
! style="text-align:right;" |Max Range
|20km
|40km+
|9000
|12000
! style="text-align:left;" |ammo: maxRange = n; (Dist in m)
! style="text-align:left;" |ammo: maxRange = n; (Dist in m)
|-
|-
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[[Category:Air-to-Ground_Missiles]]
[[Category:Air-to-Ground_Missiles]]
[[Category:Combined_Vehicle_Weapons_Pack]]
[[Category:Combined_Vehicle_Weapons_Pack_Contents]]

Latest revision as of 14:33, 8 January 2023

Dual Mode BRIMSTONE

In March 2010 Brimstone was selected as the basis for the RAF's requirement under the Selective Precision Effects At Range (SPEAR) Capability 2 Block 1 programme. The Demonstration and Manufacture contract increased the missile's performance "significantly", and converted the warhead and rocket motor to use insensitive munitions. Brimstone 2 has an improved seeker, a more modular design and improvements to airframe and software for "an overall increase in performance with improvements in range and engagement footprint", including a "more than 200% increase" in maximum range. A five-release test campaign in October 2013 culminated in a successful strike against a pickup truck travelling at 70 mph (110 km/h) in a cluttered road environment. Brimstone 2 was planned to enter service on the Tornado in November 2015, and was further updated with an insensitive munition compliant rocket motor and warhead in July 2016. It was successfully integrated onto the Tornado GR4 and has trialed on the Eurofighter Typhoon and AH-64E Apache.

In February 2016, integration trials with the Tornado GR4s saw 11 missiles fired at "[various] structures, a very small fast-moving vehicle, and [targets at the] edge of the weapon system’s performance envelope." All in all 10, or 91%, of the 11 missiles were successful; the only missile that missed its target was involved in a very short-range shot in which the missile's semi-active laser homing and millimetric-Wave seekers did not have enough time to effectively acquire its target.

In July 2016, MBDA further proposed a new variant of Brimstone 2 for the AH-64E Apache. It would specifically be for non-armoured targets in land and sea domains, but will not compromise Brimstone's anti-armour capability. It will have a launch aircraft cockpit-selectable trajectory, which will allow line-of-sight engagement (flat trajectory) and high and low missile flight profiles to avoid close-in obstacles; a cockpit-selectable capability that allows the pilot to determine the elevation and impact angle on the target to maximise weapon effect; and a new set of warhead modes, which includes delayed, airburst, impact and proximity fuzing.

On 7th of June 2021 the British Army Announced that BRIMSTONE would not be equiping the new AH-64E fleet. They selected the US-built JAGM missile along with the new AGM-114R Hellfire.

Real World against Arma
Detail Real ARMA Config Value
Weapon Type AGM weaponType = "x";
Mass 49 49 mag: mass = "n";
Warhead Mass 9 255 ammo: hit = "n"; (Proportionate Value mass vs hit ref Mk82)
Warhead Type HEAT HEAT ammo: warheadName = "x";
Fuse Type Laser Prox NOTE: No Direct Arma value
Fuse Range 5 20 ammo: proximityExplosionDistance = n;
Seeker Radar, Laser Radar, Laser See class component type
Auto Seek Target No No ammo: autoseektarget = n; (0 or 1)
Counter Measure Immunity High 0.95 ammo: cmimmunity = n; (Range 0 > 1)
Camera View Available Yes Yes ammo: cameraViewAvailable = n; (0 or 1)
Flight Profile Direct, Top Down Direct, Top Down ammo: flightProfiles[] = {"<TYPE>"};
BoreSight Angle 90 100 ammo: missileLockCone = n; (Degrees)
Max Speed (m/s) 450 450 ammo: maxSpeed = n; (n= m/s)
Min Range 0.5km 500 ammo: minRange = n; (Dist in m)
Max Range 40km+ 12000 ammo: maxRange = n; (Dist in m)
Indirect Hit Value 90 ammo: indirectHit = 50;
Indirect Hit Range 8 ammo: indirectHitRange = n; (m)
Maneuverability 32 G 42 ammo: maneuvrability = n; (Higher = more agile)
Danger Radius Hit N/A ammo: DangerRadiusHit = n; (Dist for AI aware in m)
Suppression Radius Hit N/A ammo: SuppresionRadiusHit = n; (Dist for AI suppresion in m)
Pylon/Rail Single, triple Launcher N/A See Hardpoint below
ARMA Class details
Ammo Mag Weapon Hardpoint
rksl_amo_brimstone_dm rksl_mag_brimstone_dm_x1_direct rksl_wpn_brimstone_dm BRIMSTON_DM_DIRECT
rksl_mag_brimstone_dm_x3_triplerack BRIMSTON_DM_TRIPLE
rksl_mag_brimstone_dm_x3_triplerack_rear BRIMSTON_DM_TRIPLE_REAR