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At DSEI Japan 2023, Kawasaki        Navy are likely to be customers.    keeps it outside the purview of the
        Heavy Industry (KHI) unveiled a     Meanwhile, Finland has selected     Missile Technology Control Regime
        scale model of a stealthy anti-ship   the Gabriel V for its Pojhanmaa-  (MTCR). Lighter and shorter than
        missile called “Island defence anti-  class corvette.                   Gabriel, the missiles, which are sim-
        ship missile.” In the research stage,                                   ilar, are designed to have a 113 kg
        the modular design of the missile                                       penetration and blast fragmentation
        makes it capable of a wide variety   In collaboration with Thales, IAI is   warhead.
        of missions, including anti-surface   also working on the Sea Serpent
        warfare, electronic warfare missions   anti-ship missile. The Surface-to-  MBDA & The FC/ASW
        and ISR missions. The missile,      Surface missile, which is being
        which will be fitted with a dual mode   developed as a contender for the   Meanwhile, missile manufacturer
        seeker with IR and RF, will have a   Royal Navy’s surface-to-surface    MBDA is making progress on the
        long range, low RCS (radar cross    guided weapon (SSGW) program,       Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon
        section), and high manoeuvrabil-    has a range well in excess of 200   (FC/ASW) program, which aims
        ity. The company intends to propel   kilometers. The missile has an RF   replace the air launched Scalp/
        the missile using the KJ300, a      seeker head and a sophisticated     Storm Shadow as well as the air
        new turbofan engine it is currently   data analysis and weapon control   and ship launched Exocet and
        developing.                         system to provide precise target    Harpoon anti-ship missiles in
                                            detection, discrimination, and clas-
                                            sification. Capable of overcoming   service with French and British air
                                                                                forces and navies. In 2019, MBDA
        IAI Makes a Mark                    both kinetic counter-fire and sophis-  and its partner companies in the
                                            ticated electronic countermeasures,
        Proteus Advanced Systems,           the missile will locate and attack its   two companies moved past the
        a joint venture between Israel      target in littoral, open-ocean, and   “Key Review” phase of the program.
        Aerospace Industries (IAI) and      overland environments.              The program intends to deliver a
        ST Engineering, has brought to                                          weapon that will be operational by
        market the Blue Spear fifth gen-                                        2028.
        eration surface-to-surface missile   Israeli guided-weapons special-
        (5G SSM), which has a combined      ist Rafael has developed the        In September last year, the French
        anti-ship and land attack capability   air-launched Ice Breaker and     Navy successfully fired the latest
        at high subsonic speed. Based on    surface-launched Sea Breaker        generation of MBDA’s Exocet
        IAI’s Gabriel, the missile has an   missile systems. The Sea Breaker    missile – Mer-Mer 40 Block 3c
        air-breathing turbojet engine fed   was unveiled in 2021 and the Ice    (MM40 B3c) from the multi-mission
        with liquid jet fuel, with a range of   Breaker followed a year later.  At   Alsace frigate (FREMM DA) off
        180 miles. In February this year,   the Singapore Airshow 2024, the     the coast of the DGA missile test
        the Estonian Center for Defense     company revealed that production    centre.  The Exocet MM40 B3c can
        Investments (ECDI) announced        was about to commence on the Ice    be integrated on a wide variety of
        that the Blue Spear missiles have   and Sea Breaker missiles for two    platforms including surface ships,
        arrived in the country.  The Israeli   customers. The anti-ship missiles   submarines, fast jets, helicopters
                                                                                and coastal batteries..
        Navy and Republic of Singapore      have up to a 300km-range, which
        ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY                                                            MARCH - APRIL 2024  | 11
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