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Hi all
Welcome to a new suggestion for adding a new weapon to the game. Today I’m talking about the future French light bomb equipping the Mirage 2000D RMV. The BAT-120LG or ASPTT (Air Sol Peite Taille Tactique).
History
Faced with the multiplication of targets and the inability of the Mirage 2000 to engage many targets (the aircraft can only carry a maximum of 6 air-ground guided weapons) and not having small-caliber precision-guided weapons (the smaller-caliber guided weapons being the AASM and GBU-12/22/49, being 250kg bombs each), the French army asked Thales to produce a small bomb that would allow precise strikes without causing collateral casualties and that could be carried in large numbers. The company then developed a bomb based on the BAT-120 of Thomson-CSF (aA tactical support bomb that could be carried in a cluster under the aircraft used in the 80s on the majority of French aircraft). The first official presentation of the weapon took place at the Paris Air Show in 2017 on the DGA stand and the first test were made in 2018 by Thales and the DGA.
Presentation of the weapon
The BAT-120LG is based on the concept of the BAT-120 used by the French Air Force, however many elements have been changed to make this small ammunition a precision bomb.
Diameter : 120mm
Mass : 35kg
Explosive mass : 10kg
Type of guidance : Laser
Unlike the unguided version, this bomb has no means of propultion, once dropped, fins come out of each side of the fuselage to guide it to its target. The fire control is similar to that of a Gbu-12, the fire control is provided by the LG ACULEUS, used to guide laser-guided rockets. An accuracy of 75 cm has been shown in tests with this fire control. It should be noted, however, that due to its low mass, the bomb lacks the inertia necessary to reach high distances and its range is about half that of the Gbu-12
The bomb attachment system is entirely based on that of the Bat-120, allowing the bombs to be attached to each other, greatly increasing the carrying capacity. The adapters are the same as for the non-guided version and are therefore already qualified on Mirage 2000, these are the 14-3-M2 (allowing to carry between 1 and 9 bombs) and 30-6-M2 (allowing to carry between 1 and 18 bombs). This gives a significant payload capacity to the Mirage 2000s, which were previously limited in quantity.
Image of a Mirage 2000 with 18 of the unguided version of the bomb
During the presentation at the Paris Air Show in 2017, the bomb was presented on a brand new adapter, installed on the rear hardpoints of the Mirage demonstration aircraft. It is still uncertain today whether this presentation was only a model or a real operational system, as the rear hardpoints of the Mirage 2000 were not qualified for firing as guided air-ground weapons.
Why add this bombshell to the game?
This bomb would be an interesting addition to the game because it would increase the amount of guided weaponry possible on the Mirage 2000D RMV without making the aircraft much stronger. Indeed, although this bomb can be carried in large quantities by the aircraft, its flight characteristics and its low explosive mass make it an ineffective ammunition in combat situations (although it can seriously damage a tank) because when using it the player will have to place himself at a disadvantage putting him at the mercy of anti-aircraft vehicles.
Thales LAS France - Bombe BAT-120 GL
Sources
La DGA poursuit la mise au point de l’ASPTT / BAT-120LG - Defens’Aero
Bourget 2017 : BAT 120, une munition légère pour les frappes air-sol
Premier tir piloté de la munition BAT 120 de Thales
Premier tir, par un Mirage 2000D, de la bombe légère (et à bas coût) BAT-120 GL, développée par Thales - Zone Militaire
Face à la diversification des menaces, Thales fait évoluer sa gamme de munitions guidées laser | Theatrum Belli
French Air and Space Force boosts capabilities of its Mirage 2000D RMV fighters
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