I think it’s just a filler-upgrade until the replacement of the Stinger under the Next-Generation Short-Range Interceptor (NGSRI) is accepted, granted we all know how the Army’s acquisition programs go 👀 * coughs in Booker and every Abrams/Bradley replacement so far *
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Yeah, it’s been pretty rough. the growing interest in military and development of US adversaries should help programs with real promise. Imo cancelling booker was a good move since it seemed like it sort of just sucked
Army might just be allergic to successful programs though
The MPF program was a good concept but they either should’ve upgraded the M1128 MGS to be more stable when firing which was a major issue or selected the XM1302 (modernized M8) since it actually met all the requirements and weight set by the program. The Griffin II drew a lot of interest since it utilized the same setup as the Abrams but failed the other aspects of the program which were then tailored to fit the Griffin II so it stayed in the program.
The M10 would’ve also likely been upgraded with Iron Fist APS later on to make it more survivable.
The airborne need a light tank but messed up by trying to reinvent the wheel when they had other options they could’ve went with.
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Aster 30 is Mach 4.5 with no initial speed
if you strap it on a Rafale, the poor thing might be too fast for its own good X)
that’s nice
on something this small it’s indeed quite interesting. Would be funny to transform a small manpads that doesn’t look like much in a 10+ km range threat
now watch it still turn 13G because “it looks like igla”
Yea cuz 10.3 is rly lacking
The funny thing is that in terms of dimensions and mass, the missile could be installed (it would be a bit too long to put it under a Rafale but it should be possible) Well, the first booster would be complicated to put under the wing, but it should be possible.
I’m pretty sure the meteor would have more range than the ASTER tho. The range advantage of the ramjet over a larger rocket booster is just much better. Just need to see the size of the AIM260.
Also, thinking about this, I believe PL15 stated range is also in the ballpark of the Meteor. I think it uses a solid rocket motor as well, so I guess to achieve that range it should be bigger ?
Yes, you have a range advantage with the METEOR, but for acceleration, the ASTER 30 would be absolutely monstrous; some sources claim that maximum speed is reached in a few seconds.
And the final guidance system and the explosive charge would really make it a very interesting missile (I say that jokingly; I can’t imagine it being installed on the Rafale at all).
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family reunion
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3.5s to reach mach 4.5 from stand still
then a sustainer with an unknown burn time
Aster is a 450kg missile, there is a lot of power in here. Either way, it would be close
They should strap a meteor on a an aster booster
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Acceleration is indeed insane. I’m just extrapolating the claimed 100km or so for a ground launched missile to an air launched one. I guess it would more than double it, but it would still fall short of the claimed meteor range
Not like i would know of course, especially since meteor is quite an unknown missile. Just a small precision when it comes to Aster-30 : its claimed range for the B1 block is a vague “>120km”, and the new variant entering service in 2026, B1NT, has a no less vague “around 150km” range : Comment le missile Aster 30 B1NT repoussera les limites de la défense aérienne européenne ? | Ministère des Armées
Maybe, it has the ability to go to 2 nations with one nation getting the production model, realistically it depends on if gaijin figures the prototype is worth adding versus the finished model which only one nation gets. The image youve posted is the finished model of the NASAM HML created by Norway.
It needs a towed radar, realistically it has enough power to tow its own systems but the project was dropped due to lack of interest from the US and money problems. Norway finished the program a few years later since it fits into their military doctrine. Its definitely a neat vehicle and it can mount aim 9X BLK 2
Chinese hybrid test chassis
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It wouldn’t be in the same class as AIM-174B then
My guess it’s that it’s because of the insane acceleration of the missile. If the main motor was slower burning, then the range would be higher, since from an air launched platform, you don’t need the same pure acceleration.
I guess the AIM174 also features similar modification to the main acceleration charge to get such a high estimated range.
Also, I was completely extrapolating the range and it might end up with more range is we just slapped it to a plane flying Mach 1 at 30000 feet
