UAE missile development | World Defense

UAE missile development

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is taking major steps to develop indigenous capabilities to develop airdropped weapons.

Like their neighbors in Saudi Arabia, the Emiratis envision developing high-tech defense capabilities and exporting them. But the move also reflects the Gulf state’s recent struggles in procuring advanced weapons from the U.S.

In July, the U.S. Congress blocked plans to transfer guided rockets and missiles to Abu Dhabi and Riyadh over humanitarian concerns about the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen. It was only President Donald Trump’s controversial veto of the resolutions that allowed the transfers to take place.

- MBDA to work with Tawazun to develop SmartGlider weapon in the UAE
- EDGE is developing a more capable version of the Al-Tariq bomb kit

Today, the UAE may be trying to extricate itself from the Yemeni conflict, but a recognition of the need to secure the supply lines for munitions to support its hard-hitting air power capability is not lost. What is emerging is a highly specialized capacity to produce bespoke but valued precision-guided air-to-ground weapons.

The UAE is no stranger to weapons development. In the 1980s, it worked with Britain’s Marconi Dynamics to develop a bespoke weapon—the PGM500, a family of glide bombs with laser, TV and infrared imaging seekers, known locally as the Hakim, which were developed to be carried from both the UAE’s Dassault Mirage 2000 and F-16s.

The capabilities provided by the Hakim are now being developed at home within the newly established EDGE defense holding company established in the weeks prior to the Dubai Airshow.
Some 25 local defense companies were absorbed into EDGE; two of them, Al-Tariq and Halcon, form part of the group’s Missiles and Weapons cluster.

Of these, Al-Tariq is perhaps the most familiar. Renamed from Barij Dynamics and before that Tawazun Dynamics, Al-Tariq is a joint venture between EDGE and South Africa’s Denel Dynamics. The joint venture is responsible for producing Al-Tariq kits that transform dumb bombs into precision-guided munitions, some with wings enabling a glide range of up to 120 km (75 mi.).

Since 2012, Al-Tariq has produced more than 6,000 guidance kits for both the Mk. 81 250-lb. and Mk. 82 500-lb. bombs, in a so-called Block 1 configuration, primarily equipping the United Arab Emirates Air Force Dassault Mirage 2000-9s. The company is now working with Lockheed Martin to introduce the weapon on the F-16 Block 60s also operated by the UAE Air Force.

Al-Tariq is also working on a Block 2 guidance kit introducing a modernized navigation system and a power pack to reduce the weapon’s dependence on the carrier aircraft’s electrical power system. Engineers are looking to extend the range of the weapon using a turbojet, essentially turning the weapon into a cheap cruise missile.

Production of the more capable Block 2 Al-Tariq bomb kits is slated for mid-to-late 2020. Credit: Tony Osborne/AW&ST

“This is the weapon of choice for the UAE Air Force,” Theunis Botha, general manager of Al-Tariq, told Aviation Week. But he pointed out that the local solution has to be as competitive as those sourced from elsewhere. Al-Tariq competes for the UAE’s interest along with Raytheon’s Paveway, Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munition and other kits such as the Teber developed by Turkey.

Al-Tariq has attracted regional interest too. The company has been one of the drivers for extending the range and introducing the power pack that gives the weapon an 8-hr. autonomy and allows the customer to be less reliant on the aircraft’s OEM for integration.

Halcon is the lesser known of the two companies. Unlike Al-Tariq, it appears to be entirely homegrown, developing its own family of weapons and performing warhead design. It produces two families of weapons: The Thunder, which is a precision guidance kit for dumb bombs, and the Desert Sting, a new family of small, low-collateral munitions with warheads weighing 5-35 kg (11-77 lb.). Both are suitable for light attack platforms and unmanned aircraft systems.

Halcon is a 100% UAE company, and we own 100% of the [intellectual property], manufacturing all of the parts,” Halcon Design Engineer Khalifa Al Tamimi said at the Dubai Airshow. The company scored its first major contract worth $1 billion at the event, a deal with the UAE to deliver the Desert Sting weapon.

Quantities and delivery dates were not revealed. Halcon’s Thunder is integrated on the Mirage 2000, while the Desert Sting is being targeted at the new Calidus B-250 light attack platform, 24 of which have been ordered by the UAE military (AW&ST Nov. 25-Dec. 8, p. 21).

With Halcon and Al-Tariq brought under the EDGE holding company, officials say there will likely become more cooperation between the two, where there was once competition.

European missile house MBDA has also seen an opportunity to plant its own flag in the UAE, signing agreements with the Tawazun Economic Council to pursue the local development of the SmartGlider family of glide bombs. The SmartGlider was first unveiled at the 2017 Paris Air Show in response to a growing international need for aircraft that would not only be able to carry more weapons but also be capable of dealing with a wider range of target sets.

MBDA wants to be able to arm the UAE’s Mirage 2000s with up to 12 SmartGlider weapons carried on specially developed launchers.

“We are giving [the UAE] a lot of technology and knowledge,” says Francois Moussez, a former Rafale pilot and one of MBDA’s military advisors. “This would be a significant steppingstone toward more advanced capabilities.”

Together, MBDA and Tawazun will set up an engineering center to work on the SmartGlider weapon and also establish a local flight testing capability. They hope the facilities and development work could get underway within two years.

Project with European MBDA for smart glider bomb.

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UAE and South Africa project to add a turbojet to a dumb bomb to extend range to 200km or higher.

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Halcon UAE projects for JDAM and MAM-L/MAM-C type missiles

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South Korea and UAE project to develop Hellfire type missile.
 
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Standoff wing kit and rocket for extended fange from Halcon UAE

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Unpowered projectiles with GPS and inertial guidance that can be accurized with laser seeker head.
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The missiles on the UAE built aircraft B-250
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2000 pound bomb kit
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Korean-UAE missile 2.75 inch rocket.
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Korean UAE hellfire type missile
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UAE-France smart glider bomb with 100km range and 80kg warhead. Mirage 2000 can carry 12 bombs and in the future it will be integrated on many platforms as a competitor to the SDB 2. It is meant to swarm targets and will become more intelligent in the future with AI.

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A NIMR armored vehicle fires a rocket equipped with the TALON® guidance system in this artist's illustration. Raytheon is working to integrate the weapon onto the NIMR, with support from NIMR Automotive, one of the company's many international partners.

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View attachment 16057


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A NIMR armored vehicle fires a rocket equipped with the TALON® guidance system in this artist's illustration. Raytheon is working to integrate the weapon onto the NIMR, with support from NIMR Automotive, one of the company's many international partners.

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Yes, it is very good news and hopefully UAE can license produce missiles from Raytheon like Patriot missiles.

 

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France's MBDA to open missile engineering center in UAE
November 16, 2019
ABU DHABI (Reuters) - France’s MBDA and Dassault Aviation (AVMD.PA) plan to open a missile engineering facility and a flight testing center in the United Arab Emirates, the UAE’s defense and security industry enabler Tawazun Economic Council said on Saturday.
The announcement comes on the eve of the biennial Dubai Air Show which begins on Sunday as the UAE steps up efforts to bolster its indigenous defense capabilities.
Tawazun will sign an agreement with MBDA to set up the French company’s first missile engineering center in the region, it said in a statement, adding the center will establish expertise in development and engineering of weapon systems.

Tawazun will also sign an agreement with Dassault Aviation to set up a flight testing center in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, it said.
“The facility will play a pivotal role in laying the foundation for future programs of flight testing in the region, to support integration and development for the defense sector,” it said.
Tawazun also announced an agreement between Italy’s aerospace and defense giant, Leonardo SPA (LDOF.MI) and Abu Dhabi Aviation Training Centre (ADATC) for the latter to house the AW169 and AW139 pilot training simulators.

As the first and only regional center to have such capabilities, “the simulators will offer timely, cost-effective and integrated training solutions within the UAE,” it said.
Earlier this year, Tawazun signed agreements to set up wholly-owned subsidiaries with France’s Thales Group (TCFP.PA) and Sweden’s SAAB (SAABb.ST).
 
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@Khafee
Brother an important development that is missing here is air to air missiles which can be done with South African partners considering their current situation economically. They have both BVRAAM and WVR air to air missiles and Brazil doesnt want to produce A Darters for now so Denel is losing money.

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Khafee

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Yes, it is very good news and hopefully UAE can license produce missiles from Raytheon like Patriot missiles.

with ToT
 

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AL TARIQ continues to enhance PGM range

Written by Guy Martin -07th Sep 2020


AL TARIQ (formerly Barij Dynamics) continues to enhance its ‘Al Tariq’ range of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) and is about to start production on the improved Block II version.

Theunis Botha, Chief Executive Officer of AL TARIQ, told defenceWeb that the upgraded Block II version includes a variety of new operational features for the Mk 81 and Mk 82 bomb kits. He said: “We are currently in the process of starting our planned production for the Block II version towards the end of 2020, and are also expanding the range to include the Mk 83 and Mk 84 in the next 12-18 months.”

AL TARIQ, originally established as a joint venture with Denel Dynamics, is now part of the Missiles & Weapons cluster within the Abu Dhabi-based EDGE defence group. The company has produced a large number of Al Tariq guidance kits for the Mk 81 (250 lb) and Mk 82 (500 lb) bombs, mainly for the UAE Air Force’s Mirage 2000-9s and other aircraft in the fleet.

The Block II version features an upgraded navigation system, and a pre-flight power source – to reduce the weapon’s independence on the carrying aircraft’s electrical power.

The Al Tariq comes in two main variants: the Al Tariq S and the Al Tariq LR – which have different seekers, payload sizes and wing kit options as well as multiple configurations – as the company looks to add a new payload and fusing system for a height adjustable airburst option (Height-Of-Burst-Sensor).

The Al Tariq S has a range of 40 km, and the Al Tariq LR has a wing kit that extends range to 120 km. Botha, speaking during a recent webinar, said Al Tariq still has the longest demonstrated range on the market.

On a Mk 81 payload, the Al Tariq S has a mass of 212 kg, whereas it is 268 kg on the Al Tariq LR. As for the Mk 82 payload, its mass is 310 kg and 366 kg, respectively. The Al Tariq can be launched at a maximum speed of Mach 0.9 from an altitude of 40 000 feet. Its impact speed is programmable while the impact angle can be programmed between 30 and 90 degrees.

There are three main guidance configurations: accuracy with GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) is approximately 10 metres CEP
(circular error probable); with GNSS semi-active laser it is three metres CEP, and with GNSS imaging infrared with automatic target recognition, it goes down to two metres CEP. The Al Tariq S can engage targets up to 90 degrees off-axis, while the Al Tariq LR can engage targets up to 180 degrees off-axis. Targeting can be either locked on before, or after, launch.

Botha said AL TARIQ has benefitted from the UAE being its launch customer but is looking to grow the business outside the UAE, and has already accomplished successful demonstrations in other countries. “We have a very good product; we believe in it,” he said, commenting on the demand for Al Tariq kits.

“The intention is to grow the market even further – beyond the Middle East and North Africa. We are expanding our footprint, though COVID-19 has put a bit of a delay in our plans in the business development domain. Being ITAR-free will help in this process,” he added.

AL TARIQ was originally known as Tawazun Dynamics as it was a partnership between Denel Dynamics and Tawazun. In October 2018, the company rebranded itself as Barij Dynamics after investment from the Emirates Defence Industry Company (EDIC). In November 2019, the company later became AL TARIQ when it was consolidated along with 25 other UAE defence entities, under EDGE.

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