MBDA to provide CAMM air defence missiles to Type 45 destroyers

CAMM
Image courtesy of MBDA

MBDA has been awarded a number of contracts to significantly upgrade the air and missile defence capabilities of the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 destroyers, the company announced.

The work will see CAMM (Common Anti-air Modular Missile) paired with an upgraded Sea Viper command and control (C2) system for the first time. CAMM offers both world-leading close-in and local-area air defence and will complement Aster 30, strengthening the anti-air defence capability of the Royal Navy.

Fitting the system onto the Type 45s will give the destroyers a 50% increase in the number of its air defence missiles. The installation will be via 24 additional launcher cells, and the Sea Viper C2 will get a technology upgrade, giving it a major increase in processing power.

sea viper
Type 45 destroyer launching missile from PAAMS (MBDA image)

The existing 48 Sylver cells on Type 45 will now be solely for the longer-range Aster 30 missile, which is also subject to a recently announced mid-life refresh. This will see the missile remain in service throughout the life of the Type 45s.

CAMM has already been delivered to both the British Army and the Royal Navy, where it is the interceptor in both ground-based air defence (GBAD) and naval-based air defence (NBAD) systems, enabling these services to equip missiles from a shared stockpile.

In service on upgraded Royal Navy Type 23 frigates, CAMM will also be fitted to Type 26 and Type 31 in the future. The CAMM family has proven a rapid success with international customers, with Canada and Brazil among the new users ordering the missile this year.

About CAMM:

Incorporating advanced technologies to provide complete protection against all known and projected air targets. CAMM is currently in full-scale production for the UK MOD to deliver the Sea Ceptor ship-based air defence system that will equip the Royal Navy Type 23 frigates and future Type 26. The same CAMM missile will form the core of the land-based air defence version for the British Royal Artillery.

CAMM has an active RF seeker that provides true all-weather performance with excellent clutter rejection capabilities.

camm
MBDA to provide CAMM air defence missiles to Type 45 destroyers 3

Characteristics:

  • Weight: 99 kg
  • Length: 3.2 m
  • Diameter: 166 mm
  • Range: In excess of 25 km
  • Speed: Supersonic

The CAMM munition will replace the current in-service weapon as the Royal Navy’s latest ship-based air defence system. Known as Sea Ceptor it will be fitted to the Royal Navy’s Type 23 Frigates and will deliver significantly greater capability at a reduced cost in all operating environments than alternative systems.

Sea Ceptor can operate from the SYLVER and Mk41 launchers using a quad-pack configuration to maximise packing density and for optimum installation on smaller ships. The Soft Vertical Launch technology reduces system weight and provides flexible installation. The weapon’s Command and Control system is designed to be integrated into new or existing naval combat systems.

Check out Naval Library App to learn more about the specifications of the CAMM air defence system.

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