| ASMP | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | medium-range air to surface nuclear missile |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1986 |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Aérospatiale |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 860 kg[citation needed] |
| Length | 5.38 m[citation needed] |
| Diameter | 300 mm[citation needed] |
| Warhead | TN 81 nuclear warhead, 150 kt or 300 kt of TNT (variable yield) |
|
| |
| Engine | liquid-fuel ramjet |
Operational range | between 80 km and 300 km[citation needed] |
| Maximum speed | Mach 2 to Mach 3[citation needed] |
Launch platform | Dassault Mirage IV, Dassault Mirage 2000N, Dassault Rafale, and Dassault Super Étendard |
The Air-Sol Moyenne Portée (ASMP; medium-range air to surface missile) is a French air-launched nuclear missile. Part of the Force de frappe, in French nuclear doctrine it is the last-resort "warning shot" prior to a full-scale employment of strategic nuclear weapons. The missile's construction was contracted to Aérospatiale's Tactical Missile Division, now part of MBDA.
ASMP entered service in 1986, replacing the earlier free-fall AN-22 bomb on France's Dassault Mirage IV aircraft and the AN-52 bomb on Dassault Super Étendard. About 84 weapons are stockpiled. Carrier aircraft are the Dassault Mirage 2000N, Rafale, and Super Étendard; the earlier Mirage IVP was completely retired in 1996.[citation needed]
ASMP is 5.38 m long and weighs 860 kg. It is a supersonic stand-off missile powered by a liquid-fuel ramjet.[citation needed] It flies at Mach 2 to Mach 3, with a range between 80 km and 300 km depending on flight profile. Warhead is a single TN 81 with two yield options, 150 and 300 kt of TNT.[citation needed]
An advanced version known as ASMP-A has a range of about 500 km at a speed of up to Mach 3 with the new TNA (tête nucléaire aéroportée) 300kt thermonuclear warhead. It entered service in October 2009 with the Mirage 2000NK3 of squadron EC 3/4 at Istres and on July 2010 with the Rafales of squadron EC 1/91 at Saint Dizier.[1]
Operators[]
France
Photo[]
References[]
- ↑ Robert Hewson, "French ASMP-A missile enters service". Jane's Defence Weekly. July 14, 2010, p. 14.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to ASMP. |
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The original article can be found at Air-Sol Moyenne Portée and the edit history here.