MBDA, The Italian Air Force has successfully carried out a series of live firing trials of its upgraded Spada air defence systems to qualify the system Mid-Life Update (MLU) programme.
This Air Force trials campaign, unprecedented in the history of Spada with regard to the scope of the tests and the number of missiles fired, proved the quality of the work carried out by MBDA Italy together with the RTI (Raggruppamento Temporaneo di Imprese – a temporary industrial consortium) within this technology upgrade programme. All the firings met with the full satisfaction of the Air Force.
The firings took place at the joint forces PISQ (Poligone Interforze Salto di Quirra) test site in Sardinia. A Spada battery comprising two operational units, each with two launchers, was used to lead the trials.
Eight missiles were fired in the most diverse of operational conditions to fulfil the tactical scope of the test engagement carried out against low-flying aerial targets. The firings involved either the simultaneous use of two launchers or the automatic sequential use of one launcher against the same target.
To demonstrate the total reliability of the upgraded Spada battery, the complete operational sequence of test firings was carried out very rapidly (in about one hour). This also demonstrated the skills of the Air Force crews, the Padua 2nd RMM (Reparto Manutenzione Missili or Missile Maintenance Unit) who carried out the upgrade and the MBDA teams involved. The optimised operational benefits of both the Aspide missile and the Spada system were also confirmed by this demanding firing sequence.
Spada
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