Rumors or plans. French Exocet missiles for Ukraine
The Kyiv regime continues to beg foreign partners for missile weapons of various classes, and some even agree to provide it. So, in early June, there were reports of a possible delivery of Exocet anti-ship missiles from France. However, there is still no official information on this subject, and in addition, news didn't get a sequel. With all this, the supply of such anti-ship missiles looks doubtful - for technical and political reasons.
News without continuation
About the imminent transfer of certain weapons to Ukraine in recent months becomes from officials or from foreign press publications. Current story with French anti-ship missiles it looks different. Information about the possible delivery of "Exocets" on June 3 was revealed in his microblog by the journalist of the French edition of L'Opinion, Jean-Dominique Merche.
Without specifying the source of the information received, he wrote that France could transfer Exocet missiles to Ukraine. He also recalled what weapon can be used as part of coastal missile systems. At the same time, deliveries have not yet begun due to the lack of the necessary permission. Other details such as modification and number of missiles, delivery times, etc. were not specified.
J.-D. Mersche answered some questions from subscribers - and did not return to the topic of the transfer of French anti-ship missiles in his microblog. Some French and foreign publications drew attention to the message about the rockets, but could not supplement it with new details.
A week and a half has passed since the appearance of the first messages, but the situation as a whole has not changed. Apart from the statements of the L'Opinion employee, no information about the "Exocets" for Ukraine has yet appeared. Why is unknown. Perhaps this information was not true from the very beginning, and J.-D. Mersche was simply let down by his sources. In addition, it cannot be ruled out that France is indeed preparing to send missiles, but at the moment does not consider it possible to talk about it.
However, the situation may become clearer in the near future. France is actively helping Ukraine with weapons and equipment, and it is quite possible that the next delivery will include missiles.
A product with history
The Exocet product is one of the oldest anti-ship missiles currently in service with different countries. The development of this rocket started back in 1967 and was carried out by the French company Nord Aviation. A few years later, the project passed to the combined company Aérospatiale, which completed the work and brought the rocket to adoption. She carried out the development of the project with the creation of new modifications of the rocket until the beginning of the XNUMXs. Then the project was transferred to the French branch of the international MBDA.
The first in 1975 went into production and entered service with the modification MM38, designed for surface ships. It is curious that later two countries at once were able to transfer this product to a ground launcher. In the following decades, several new versions of the rocket for various purposes were successively created. So, AM38 and AM39 missiles were made for naval aviation, but only the latter went into the series. For submarines, the SM39 version was intended.
The latest in the family was the MM40 missile for surface ships. She successively went through several upgrades, and in 2010-12. the production of the latest version under the designation Block 3 began. The development of the Exocet family stopped there due to the development of the modernization potential and due to the emergence of more advanced modern projects.
Missiles in formation
The first customer of all Exoset modifications was the French armed forces. Now they are armed with all the main modifications of such anti-ship missiles used on different carriers. However, measures are already being taken to gradually replace them with newer models.
Since the late seventies, Exocet anti-ship missiles have been actively exported. Depending on their needs, foreign customers bought both missiles of specific modifications and the entire available set. For all the time the French industry has managed to find more than 30 foreign customers. Of these, almost a third in the recent past also acquired the latest modification of the MM30 Block 3 anti-ship missiles.
Unlike a number of modern anti-ship missiles, Exocet products have been used in real conflicts several times. So, in 1982, during the war for the Falklands, French missiles were used by Argentina. So, Super Étendard aircraft with AM39 missiles were able to sink the British destroyer HMS Sheffield and the container ship Atlantic Conveyor. In addition, the Argentine army has manufactured an improvised coastal missile system for the MM38 ship anti-ship missiles. He managed to seriously damage the enemy destroyer HMS Glamorgan, but after repairs he returned to service.
Exocet missiles were actively used by Iraq during the war with Iran. According to known data, during the eighties, Iraqi aviation used approx. 600 AM39 items, of which approx. 250 hit the target. At the same time, less than half of the enemy ships were sunk.
However, the most famous was another episode of the use of Iraqi anti-ship missiles. In May 1987, a Mirage F1 fighter fired a pair of AM39 products at the American frigate USS Stark. Both missiles hit the target and damaged it. However, the ship was repairable and was soon able to return to service.
Technical features
Exocet is a subsonic anti-ship missile designed to destroy surface targets of medium displacement. Due to minimal design modifications, the unified RCC can be used by different platforms. At the same time, different versions of the product differ in their tactical and technical characteristics.
All versions of the Exocet are built in a cylindrical body with a diameter of 340 mm and a length of 4,7 m, excluding the starting engine. There are two sets of trapezoidal wings and rudders with a span of up to 1,35 m. Early modifications had a starting weight in the range of 650-670 kg. In the future, it grew and reached 780 kg. Of these, 165 kg falls on a semi-armor-piercing warhead with non-contact or delayed detonation.
Early modifications of the rocket were equipped with a solid propellant engine. The MM40 project used a starting solid propellant rocket engine and a mid-flight turbojet engine. In all cases, a high subsonic flight speed is achieved, but the range varies. So, the early MM38 for ships flew only 40 km, and the aviation AM39 showed a range of 70 km during high-altitude launch. The latest version of the MM40 Block 3 flies 180 km due to the turbojet engine.
All Exocets are equipped with an autopilot with an inertial navigation system and an active radar homing head. At the same time, the exact composition of the devices has repeatedly changed in order to improve performance. The autopilot and INS take the product to a predetermined area, after which the ARGSN searches for a target and ensures its defeat. The last leg of the flight takes place at the minimum altitude for breaking through the air defense / missile defense of the target ship.
Carriers of "Exocets" can be ships and submarines of various types of foreign construction. So, on ships, launchers based on TPK are used. Aircraft compatible with NATO standards carry missiles on an external sling. MBDA also offers a ground-based missile system, but so far it exists only as a project.
Problem set
It is not yet clear whether France is really going to transfer Exocet missiles to Ukraine. However, it is already clear that such deliveries - like the transfer of other weapons - have no real prospects. The only benefit it can bring is to free up French warehouses for new missiles.
The possibility of supplying a coastal missile system is mentioned, but so far it exists only on paper. Whether MBDA will speed up the project for the sake of Ukraine is a big question. The use of anti-ship missiles on other media is simply impossible. The Kyiv regime lost surface and underwater fleet, and the available tactical aircraft simply cannot carry French / NATO missiles.
The performance characteristics of the Exocet missiles themselves do not fully meet modern requirements. The maximum range of the products of the family reaches only 180 km, which limits their operational capabilities. ARGSN old types can be suppressed by modern electronic warfare. Probably later heads also have their limitations.
Subsonic speed makes the Exocet missile not the most difficult target for modern shipborne air defense / missile defense. In this case, even a successful breakthrough of the defense will have a limited effect. The 165-kg penetrating warhead has limited potential and is not enough to deal with large ships of the main classes.
Finally, it should be remembered that foreign weapons entering Ukraine will face a common unenviable fate. At the stage of transportation to the combat zone or at firing positions, it is destroyed by the Russian army. Obviously, foreign anti-ship missiles, which pose some danger to the military and merchant fleet, will become a priority target for strikes.
with predictable results
Thus, there is already a familiar situation with a predictable result. Ukraine can be provided with obsolete weapons with limited characteristics and potential. At the same time, they will not be able to show themselves in battle and, most likely, will be quickly destroyed.
However, such an outcome is possible only in the case of the transfer of missiles. However, given the situation of recent days, it can be assumed that the information about the Exocets is just an unconfirmed rumor. But in reality, France will not even allocate obsolete anti-ship missiles.
- Ryabov Kirill
- MBDA Missile Systems
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