The Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) has recently conducted an operational naval VL MICA missile firing from the Al Shamikh Ocean Patrol Vessel (OPV), a Khareef class constructed by BAE Systems.
This live firing took place at the French MoD’s test range off the coast of the Ile du Levant in the Mediterranean Sea under the supervision and control of the French DGA – EM (Direction Générale de l’Armement – Essais de Missiles).
The VL MICA missile successfully intercepted and destroyed at very low altitude the target which was simulating a sea skimming anti-ship missile.
The success of this firing is evidence of the operational capability of the RNO with its new vessel and weapon system.
VL MICA is the latest generation of air defence systems and deploys the MICA missile vertically launched from a canister which serves for both storage and launch purposes. In its naval version, VL MICA provides both area air defence as well as self-defence of the host vessel. MICA fire-and-forget missiles can be equipped with either IR or radar seekers and are capable of dealing with the full range of airborne threats as well as saturating attacks.
Worldwide to date, 12 armed forces have selected the MICA missile.
With a significant presence in five European countries and the USA, in 2012 MBDA achieved a turnover of 3 billion euros with an order book of 9.8 billion euros. With more than 90 armed forces customers in the world, MBDA is a world leader in missiles and missile systems.
