French Navy's Exocet MM40 Block 3C to Integrate Digital Seeker
Ami Rojkes Dombe
| 01/04/2018
http://www.mbda-systems.com/product/exocet-mm40-block3
The French Navy will soon receive a significant upgrade for its Exocet anti-ship missile: The new "Block 3C" upgrade will bring a digital seeker to the MM40 missile.
Sources within the French Navy told Navy Recognition that the C in Block 3C stands for "Coherent." The MM40 B3C integrates a new coherent (or digital) seeker allowing a more efficient processing and increased performances of the missile. While the missile range or speed are unlikely to change compared to the existing Block 3 variant, it will be upgraded with a new IIR (imaging infrared) seeker allowing the missile to recognize surface vessels profiles (thanks to a ship profile database stored on board), according to the report.
This is significant because, similarly to anti-ship missiles of the latest generation such as the Norwegian NSM or American LRASM, MM40 B3C would potentially be able to recognize a target within a group of ships and impact specific areas of the targeted surface vessel (such as its bridge, CIC, helicopter hangar, weapon or sensor systems). By using advanced image processing techniques, the target shape can be used to find its most vulnerable part toward which the missile is then steered.
The French Navy is fitting its first-line frigates with this new MM40 B3C capacity. It will acquire 15 new missiles from 2019/2020 and modernize the existing stock to homogenize the entire MM40 missile fleet.
It should be noted that the Exocet missile is exported to countries such as Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Morocco, the UAE, and others. Hence, it is possible that these countries will receive the upgraded Block 3C as well.
http://www.mbda-systems.com/product/exocet-mm40-block3
The French Navy will soon receive a significant upgrade for its Exocet anti-ship missile: The new "Block 3C" upgrade will bring a digital seeker to the MM40 missile.
Sources within the French Navy told Navy Recognition that the C in Block 3C stands for "Coherent." The MM40 B3C integrates a new coherent (or digital) seeker allowing a more efficient processing and increased performances of the missile. While the missile range or speed are unlikely to change compared to the existing Block 3 variant, it will be upgraded with a new IIR (imaging infrared) seeker allowing the missile to recognize surface vessels profiles (thanks to a ship profile database stored on board), according to the report.
This is significant because, similarly to anti-ship missiles of the latest generation such as the Norwegian NSM or American LRASM, MM40 B3C would potentially be able to recognize a target within a group of ships and impact specific areas of the targeted surface vessel (such as its bridge, CIC, helicopter hangar, weapon or sensor systems). By using advanced image processing techniques, the target shape can be used to find its most vulnerable part toward which the missile is then steered.
The French Navy is fitting its first-line frigates with this new MM40 B3C capacity. It will acquire 15 new missiles from 2019/2020 and modernize the existing stock to homogenize the entire MM40 missile fleet.
It should be noted that the Exocet missile is exported to countries such as Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Morocco, the UAE, and others. Hence, it is possible that these countries will receive the upgraded Block 3C as well.
