IAF to get HAMMER missiles; features and lethality of the medium-range air-to-ground weapon from France

NEW DELHI: Amid simmering border tension with China, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to further boost the capabilities of its Rafael combat fighters, which are set to arrive from France soon, by equipping them with the deadly HAMMER missiles.

HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) is a medium-range air-to-ground weapon designed and manufactured for the French Air Force and Navy initially.

The HAMMERs would give India the capability to take out any bunkers or hardened shelters in any type of terrain including the mountainous locations such as Eastern Ladakh, according to the defence experts.

HAMMER – the new generation medium-range modular air-to-ground weapon had been designed and manufactured by Sagem (Safran group) for the French Air Force and Navy.

The AASM family of missiles was first unveiled during the Paris Air Show in June 2007. The weapon system was also exhibited during the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) held in Abu Dhabi in February 2013. 

Sagem demonstrated the AASM and missile guidance during the Paris Air Show in June 2013. The AASM HAMMER laser missile was exhibited during Defexpo held in New Delhi, India, in February 2014.

The standard AASM GPS/inertial version has been deployed onboard Rafale twin-jet, multi-role combat fighters of French Air Force and Navy since 2008 and 2010 respectively. Up to six HAMMER missiles can be carried by a Rafale fighter.

Design and features of HAMMER missile system

According to the airforce-technology.com, the AASM weapon system has a length of 3m and a weight of 330kg and has a range of over 60km at high altitudes and 15km at low altitudes. It has fire and forget capability and an extended stand-off capacity.

The interoperable missile has the ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously. It can also strike fixed or moving targets with high precision. The missile is maintenance-free and has low lifecycle costs.

The missile uses single, double or triple store adaptors and uses Sagem’s Hemispheric Resonating Gyro, inertial / GPS hybridisation and strap-down infrared imagers and associated algorithms for conventional deep strike missions.

AASM HAMMER guidance and navigation

The AASM HAMMER missile consists of a guidance kit and a range extension kit. The kits are fitted with Mk82 warheads including Smart Bomb Unit (SBU)-38, SBU-64 and SBU-54. The easy to use missile supports operations with 125kg, 250kg, 500kg and 1,000kg bomb bodies, and can be reprogrammed during the flight.

The basic version SBU-38 HAMMER is provided with hybrid INS/GPS guidance, while the SBU-54 version is equipped with INS/GPS/IR (infrared) guidance. The latest version SBU-64 uses INS/GPS/laser guidance.

The laser terminal guidance version can be deployed to engage moving targets, while the infrared terminal guidance version minimises target coordinate errors.

The combat-proven missile can operate in all weather conditions during the day and night. It has vertical strike capability and can support deep strikes, close air support, air interdiction, and SEAD-type or anti-ship combat missions.

The propulsion system is fitted at the rear of the missile and consists of a solid rocket motor and four winglets for flight control.