Official tests in Germany confirm outstanding capabilities of LR TRIGAT Spain also interested in procuring the missile
Le Bourget, 01 June 2003
In April and May 2003 the outstanding capabilities of the LR TRIGAT multi-purpose guided missile system were once again demonstrated with a successful firing campaign on the test site of the Bundeswehr Technical Centre 91 (WTD 91) at Meppen. The most recent firing campaign consisted of three firings from the Panther test helicopter and was carried out as part of the trilateral official tests which will conclude development work on the LR TRIGAT ammunition. LR TRIGAT was jointly developed by Germany, France and Great Britain. On the industry side, EADS/LFK and MBDA are cooperating on development under the roof of EMDG, whose headquarters are in Paris.
The first shot in the recent firing campaign was made at a stationary target at a distance of 2,300 metres. The second shot hit with the same degree of precision as the first but was fired from a Panther in lateral flight with the target offset at 45 degrees and located at 650 metres. The third firing at a long range of 4,100 metres allowed the simulation to be validated. This once again demonstrated its unique quality.
The German Army intends to purchase the LR TRIGAT guided missile for 80 of its Tiger support helicopters. Spain is also showing considerable interest. Only by using this ammunition will the Tiger be able to demonstrate its required operational performance and radically improve its survivability. Negotiations on the contract between EADS/LFK and BGT (Bodenseewerk Gerätetechnik) on the one side and the Federal Office for Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) on the other were completed at the end of 2002. Together with the successful close of the development work, this is an important prerequisite for the forthcoming German parliamentary decision to be made on the start of series production of LR TRIGAT guided missiles.
The LR TRIGAT "fire-and-forget" system allows the helicopter to quit its position immediately after firing a missile, thereby exposing itself only as briefly as necessary to the threat of retaliation by anti-aircraft fire. The infrared seeker head locks on to the target before firing (lock-on before launch) after the optical system integrated into the Tiger's mast sight has detected and identified it. The missile navigates to the target autonomously, without requiring further influencing control from the gunner.
In this way, LR TRIGAT is the only real "fire-and-forget" system in the world which reliably enables the prevention of collateral damage. The 10µ-technology employed in both the gunner's sight and the seeker head, in conjunction with the harmonisation of the sight image with the seeker head image before firing, enable unambiguous target identification and target designation over the whole range spectrum.
The extraordinary capabilities of the tandem warhead, which have been successfully proven in extensive tests, allow the engagement of a wide variety of targets. In addition to tanks with state-of-the-art reactive armour, this also includes helicopters, bunkers, fortifications or combat posts in shelters.
Contracts agreed in 1999 for the procurement of the Tiger helicopter to cover French and German requirements also include the procurement and integration of the ATA firing post. Both HOT and LR TRIGAT missiles can be fired from this. For this reason, subsequent to the successful qualification tests in 2001, Eurocopter awarded a series production contract for various firing post assemblies to EADS/LFK. EADS/LFK began delivery of production equipment on schedule in February 2002.
EADS/LFK-Lenkflugkörpersysteme GmbH is a business unit of EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company. With revenues amounting to EUR 30.8 billion, EADS, which was founded in July 2000, is the world's second largest aerospace company. EADS has a workforce of approximately 103,000.
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