Meteor Missile
11/06/2010 (Infodefensa.com) Madrid - El Gobierno español ha aprobado la autorización para iniciar la fase de producción de los misiles Meteor para el Ejército del Aire por un importe de 100 millones de euros, financiación que se distribuirá en seis anualidades. En el programa europeo participan seis empresas españolas
El Gobierno español autoriza la fase de producción del misil Meteor por importe de 100 millones de euros - infodefensa.com - Información Defensa y Seguridad
11/06/2010 (Infodefensa.com) Madrid - The Spanish government has approved the authorization to begin the production phase of the Meteor missile for the Air Force for an amount of EUR 100 million, funding to be distributed in six installments . In the European program involving six Spanish companies.
According to the review of the Council of Ministers, "the entry of Spain into the production phase are allocated to allow work packages involving technology transfer of subsystems that are being developed in other countries, mainly United Kingdom and Germany."
In this way, he adds, "will be offset produced a small deficit in the allocation of work in the development phase, besides positioning very favorably to the Spanish industry for possible exports."
In accordance with the conditions contained in the Memorandum and the industrial contract, Spain will total about 10 100 industrial return, value equal to its participation in the Program, the Ministry of Defence.
Spanish industrial participation in the design and manufacture of the Meteor air-to-air missile has been carried out through companies Navantia, Indra, Inmize, INTA, General Dynamics Santa Barbara Sistemas, and SENER.
The purpose of the Meteor Programme is the development and subsequent production of air-air missiles, long range (more than one hundred kilometers) to equip the EF-2000 and other fighters as Dassault Rafale and Saab 39 Gripen, to which capacity is provisioned air combat beyond visual range.
The Council of Ministers at its meeting on December 14, 2001, authorized the Minister of Defence to sign the memorandum of the Meteor program, along with representatives from France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and United Kingdom of Great Britain, participating countries in the program.
In December last year, the government authorized also to Defence to acquire future spending commitments to finance the production of missiles worth 100 million euros, including 2.4 million to manufacture the first batch.
At that time it was established that the needs of the Spanish Air Force for this missile are 100 units with an auxiliary material, which must be supplied in the period 2013-2016.
This requires a funding of 100 million euros, including the amount of investment for the production of the first batch, amounting to EUR 2,460,153 to be paid in fiscal year 2010.
Spanish participation
In the Spanish case, GDSBS was awarded three contracts in 2004 for the design, development and production of missile components, structure, burden of war, destruction system telemetry equipment (TBUS) and load-worth TBUS set of four million euros.
Navantia is responsible for developing the missile containers (one specific to France and another for the rest): Indra, develops the control surfaces, front structure, training and missile INMIZE wired and participates in some of the many systems engineering.
INTA is responsible for structural testing of the missile. For its part, SENER serving as design authority and subsystem supplier performance and control of the fins, and is responsible for completing its development, to realize their qualification and manufacture all series units during the production phase, points to the company.
Production needs
The estimated production is about 8,000 units, of which over 230 would be acquired by the Spanish Air Force. The program envisaged the acquisition of 50 units from 2010 to the Spanish Eurofighter.
In March 2008, MBDA successfully managed to complete the development of new missile with the execution of an actual trip to check the performance of the missile and its components, which approached the decision to enter the production phase.
