Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Pakistan's next generation ARM

MAR-1 is an anti-radiation missile (ARM) developed by Brazil's Mectron and the Aerospace Technical Center (Centro Técnico Aeroespacial, CTA) of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB).
Development began in 1997 [1] and was kept under tight secrecy, for many years the weapon's manufacturers refused to acknowledge its existence.[2] The missile is guided by a Brazilian-developed passive anti-radiation seeker designed to target different types of land-based and sea-based radars with different modes, including high power surveillance radars, low power mobile radars and radars used by surface-to-air missile systems. Enemy radars can be targeted by the missile independently or with targeting data from the launch aircraft's electronic warfare systems, such as the radar warning receiver. The missile's airframe is constructed from composite materials to reduce its radar cross-section.[1] MAR-1 has been reported to have a range of 25 km when launched from an altitude of approximately 33,000 feet,[2] but according to a Brazilian engineer the actual range is far larger than this.[3]
In December 2008 the Brazilian government approved the sale of 100 MAR-1 missiles to the Pakistan Air Force in a contract worth $108 million.[1
MAR-1
Mar antia radar.jpg
A MAR-1 missile mounted under the wing of an AMX attack fighter of the Brazilian Air Force.
Type Anti-radiation missile (ARM)
Place of origin  Brazil
Production history
Manufacturer Mectron
Specifications
Weight 274 kilograms (600 lb)
Length 4.03 metres (13.2 ft)
Diameter 0.23 metres (0.75 ft)

Warhead High-explosive
Warhead weight 90 kilograms (200 lb)
Detonation
mechanism
Laser/contact proximity fuse

Engine Rocket motor
Guidance
system
Passive radar homing, home-on-jam
Launch
platform
Combat aircraft: Northrop F-5, AMX