The latest Israeli anti-ship missiles with the ability to hit ground targets
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has announced plans to begin production of a new air-launched anti-ship missile with a range of up to 300 kilometers. The Ice Breaker anti-ship missile, which, according to an Israeli company, debuted at the Farnborough air show on July 18-22, 2022, is part of a family of missiles that also includes the Sea Breaker anti-ship missile, demonstrated in 2021.
“The program is a multifunctional long-range missile. A year ago we were embargoed and we could only release the details of the Sea Breaker prototype. Now we can show the entire line. This is a multifunctional missile, a solution for air, ground and naval targets, which can attack targets on land and at sea.
– said the representative of Rafael Defense News on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
The new RCC belongs to the 5th generation, equipped with an on-board computer that makes it possible to use artificial intelligence with search algorithms, target recognition and autonomous, without operator intervention, decision-making on target selection and its destruction.
It is planned to equip six newest Sa'ar 6 corvettes with new missiles. Two of them are already in service - Magen and Oz, however, so far without anti-ship missiles. Four ships are under construction.
Sa'ar 6 has a displacement of almost 1 tons at full load and a length of 900 m. It is armed with a 90 mm Oto Melara cannon, two Typhoon weapon stations, 76 vertical launch cells for Barak-32 surface-to-air missiles. , 8 cells for the C-Dome point defense system, 20 Sea Breaker anti-ship missiles, an EL / M-16 MF-STAR AFAR radar and two 2248-mm torpedo tubes. It has a hangar and a platform for accommodating an SH-324 medium-class helicopter.
It is also planned to re-equip the three Sa'ar 5-Eilat, Lahav and Hanit corvettes in service with the new missiles. Now these ships have on board 24 launchers of obsolete American anti-ship missiles RGM-84C Harpoon. Managers of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems are well aware of the excellent export prospects of the missile in the foreign market weapons.
In the price segment from 500 to 000 million dollars in comparison with competitors: whether it is the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) of the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace, the MM1 Block 40 of the European company MBDA or the RBS-3 of the Swedish company Saab Bofors Dynamics, the most advanced examples of anti-ship Western-made 15-pound weapons.
The Sea Breaker missile, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, belongs to the “ship-to-ship” class, can be launched from ship and coastal launchers, the cruise flight takes place at subsonic speed (M-0,85–0,9), at wave height (Sea Skimmer) from 2 to 5 meters depending on the state of the sea and is controlled using a multispectral infrared seeker.
The airframe of the missile is made using stealth technology from radio-transparent and radar-absorbing materials (separate elements of the fuselage that shield the engine and seeker), which makes it difficult to detect it by enemy radars.
The missile is equipped with a miniature Safran Microturbo TRI 60 bypass turbojet engine with a thrust of 3,73 kN with a digital control system.
The Sea Breaker is classified by Western experts as a fifth-generation long-range anti-ship missile system, also due to the presence of computerized guidance, control and analysis systems using artificial intelligence.
This was originally laid down in the TTZ for the missile, the Israelis assumed from the very beginning that the new missile would have to be capable of operating in all weather conditions and, if possible, autonomously, also in an environment with an inaccessible GPS system (NAVSTAR), regardless of whether is it blocked or not.
According to Rafael experts, the rocket is quite compact: 300 mm in diameter and 3 mm long, with folding carbon-fiber wings. For its modest size, the new missile is capable of reaching a target at a distance of up to 980 km, using natural shelters: terrain, islands and coastlines.
In addition, since a flight over such a distance can take more than 20 minutes, the Sea Breaker missile has the ability to establish a secure two-way communication with the command and control center, which can correct the flight, abort the mission, reassess the situation and, for example, change the target, abandoning the original an object that, for example, was previously successfully attacked (estimation of combat damage), using the image broadcast from the missile's seeker to the operator's console.
On the hard drive of the on-board computer, three-dimensional (3D) "optical electronic portraits" of all possible civil and military ships are stored. Based on the information available in the on-board computer, without the participation of the operator, he independently decides which target to attack.
A similar solution has already been successfully used in more complex and expensive systems. Few missile systems have such a high IQ of guidance systems - heavier ones, the latest American heavy anti-ship missiles Tomahawk Block V a, the Soviet 7-ton 3M45 Granit, as well as the latest Russian anti-ship missiles 3M-54 Caliber and 3M55 Onyx. But these missiles are "heavy class".
And of the light missiles, the Sea Breaker today has the highest intelligence. The new Rafael anti-ship missile system is presented as a fully autonomous and ultra-precise system capable of effectively attacking various stationary and mobile sea and land targets.
The Israelis emphasized that the accuracy achieved is the result of many years of experience in the field of guided weapons, which has been repeatedly and effectively tested in the course of real combat operations. High accuracy, among other things, reduces collateral damage, which is especially important when attacking objects in a civilian environment (merchant ships, public utilities, crowds of people).
Based on their own experience, the Israelis are well aware that in modern conflicts it will be very difficult to distinguish between objects where there are only military targets.
The result of this many years of work and observations is the multispectral infrared seeker used in the Sea Breaker missile, which must be adapted to identify objects and select a target for attack based on a database collected and stored in the on-board computer of the missile. The "intelligence" of the missile guidance system has automatic target acquisition (ATA) and automatic target recognition (ATR) capabilities.
The missile must be able to operate effectively in coastal and open waters, as well as in areas protected by modern A2 / AD (Anti Access / Area Denial) systems. The new missile has a number of advantages in comparison with the anti-ship missiles in service - the use of stealth technologies in the design of the missile, immunity to electronic interference, low-altitude flight using the terrain (over land) and intensive maneuvering, the ability to synchronize an attack on one target with several missiles from different directions and from different heights.
The effectiveness of the Sea Breaker missile is provided by a powerful high-explosive fragmentation warhead weighing 113 kg, created from the fighting compartment of a standard American 250-pound Mark 81 aerial bomb, which, according to Rafael engineers, “due to an accurate hit, is capable of neutralizing a ship the size of a frigate after a single hit ". The aerial bomb contains 44 kg of Tritonal explosives.
Also important is the data link in the missile, which allows the operator to update the tactical situation in real time and make decisions in case of force majeure or when the missile itself cannot identify the target. Thanks to this, you can interrupt the flight, as well as evaluate the damage in the battle BDA (Battle Damage Assessment).
The Israelis emphasize that Sea Breaker is a universal system prepared for installation on mobile ground launchers and ships. In the case of deploying shore batteries, it is expected that a standard firing unit should consist of three launchers, at least one missile reloading vehicle (MLV), one command and control unit (CCU) with a secure communications system, and one logistics vehicle. supplies.
In order to simplify the work, in the case of Israel, it is assumed that Sea Breaker missiles will use ready-made solutions similar to those used in air defense systems - Rafael SPYDER launchers (PYthon and DERby surface-to-air).
Rafael representatives also emphasize that the Sea Breaker system can work with SPYDER anti-aircraft systems in a single C2 combat command and control system based on CCU mobile control centers. Thanks to this, on the basis of both missile systems, it is possible to create a single system for protecting the coastal zone, both from threats from the air and from enemy ships. Such a system could also hit enemy ground targets at a distance of up to 300 km from the launch pad.
The launch weight of the rocket is 350 kg. On the other hand, the weight of the entire launcher kit with two launch containers and controls is estimated at 1 kg, for comparison: a launcher with two Exocet MM-500 Block 40 launch containers weighs 3 kg.
Thus, Sea Breaker missiles can be placed even on small ships with a displacement of about 100 tons, providing them with high firepower. In turn, in the ground version, launchers can be placed on Ford F-350 vehicles.
The design of the shore battery itself has an open architecture and can be configured according to customer requirements with the possibility of autonomous operation, as well as in various command structures.
In addition, the Israelis indicate that, thanks to a secure communications system, they can provide real-time communication not only between missiles and PKU, but also with other batteries and ships. In combination with the AMP (Advanced Mission Planning and Control) mission planning and control system, it also allows you to coordinate attacks carried out simultaneously from land and sea.
The improved Ice Breaker missile is said to be capable of flying at ultra-low altitudes (2-5 meters), have stealth properties (or stealth technology) and can operate autonomously or in a man-in-the-loop mode. The company representative also said that the fifth-generation weapon can be launched from various aircraft and helicopters, in particular, the Puma helicopter is named, as well as Gripen, FA-50, M-346 and F-16 aircraft. He added that the Gripen can carry six Ice Breaker missiles, while the F-16 can carry seven.
“Another couple of key parameters is that the new missile does not depend on the GPS satellite system, for a single or salvo attack. This is a kind of stealth impact weapon with full compatibility with other Rafael systems. For example, if you use a Spice 1000 weapon control unit on a carrier aircraft (helicopter), you can use Ice Breaker anti-ship missiles. It is unique to get such a range and a 350-kilogram launch weight and a low-altitude trajectory, ”
a spokesman for the firm told reporters.
The company said in a statement that the missile uses artificial intelligence, deep learning technology and “big data-based scene matching enabling automatic target detection (ATA) and automatic target recognition (ATR).” A Rafael spokesperson also reported that:
"... development of the missile is nearing completion, and that the company has held talks with customers on three different continents regarding potential contracts, although he did not name the cost of the weapon." The company also did not name potential customers, but noted that “the system is optimized for deep impact arenas.”
Earlier last year at the Eurosatory exhibition, the company introduced a sixth-generation weapon that operates out of line of sight.
Unlike the previous missile, the official said, the Ice Breaker is a different type of capability.
"It's a different size of warhead and CONOPs [concept of operations], these are operational-type special CONOPs to penetrate deep arenas in ways that the other side can't stop or identify when you attack."
He also added that:
"The Ice Breaker can operate in challenging environments, resisting attempts to jam stationary or moving targets, and has independent navigation and guidance technology."
"She (the missile) has a directional multi-way data link to communicate with other missiles or with a target designator aircraft (helicopter), as well as man-in-the-loop capabilities, although the missile itself is autonomous."
The company said in a statement that the missile flies at high subsonic speeds with a "multi-directional, synchronized full-spheric attack based on predetermined attack plans, in accordance with waypoints, azimuth, pitch angle of attack and choice of aiming point."
The presentation of the missile took place during the visit of US President Joe Biden to Israel and Saudi Arabia, where he will get acquainted with several systems developed by Israel, such as the Iron Dome, David Sling, Arrow and the new Iron Beam laser weapon. Rafael has also previously developed the Iron Dome and Iron Beam missile defense systems.
Israel's defense minister, in a speech earlier this month, highlighted the growth in sales of the country's defense industry in the Middle East. However, when asked about potential contracts with the Persian Gulf countries, a representative of the Rafael company did not comment.
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