"Mika" missiles – from air-to-air missiles to anti-air missiles

In the air-to-air missile family, there are many examples of "one bullet and two ends". But like the French "Mika" missile, there are not many "small" missiles that "start" with a "one shot, two heads" design.

After World War II, France, which has long adhered to the development strategy of independence and self-reliance in national defense, has accelerated its pace in the development of advanced weapons and has accumulated a lot of experience in the development of air-to-air missiles.

With the development and installation of the Mirage-2000 and Rafale fighters, the positioning of the French company Matera to develop a new air-to-air missile has become increasingly clear. Considering the actual total thrust of the engine used by the French Air Force fighters at that time, the company fixed its eyes on the small air-to-air missiles so that the fighters could maintain their maneuvering advantage after hanging bombs. After more than 10 years of research and development, the "Mika" air-to-air missile was introduced.

This air-to-air missile, named "Mika", is 3.1 meters long, has a diameter of 165 mm and weighs only 110 kg. Its large-area side wing and tail rudder aerodynamic shape reflect the characteristics of French military design. This feature also laid the foundation for the missile to achieve close-range and high-speed maneuvering.

The most distinctive feature of the "Mika" air-to-air missile is that it was designed with the following idea: It can be installed with an active radar seeker and a passive infrared guidance seeker respectively to achieve the purpose of having both close-range combat and medium-range strike capabilities.

This line of thinking is not new. Moving forward 10 to 20 years, some major countries have begun to apply this line of thinking. When the "Mika" air-to-air missile was developed, some Western countries had abandoned this line of thinking and developed medium-range air-to-air missiles and close-range combat missiles separately.

The successful development of the Mika air-to-air missile once again drew attention to this type of design. The active radar guidance type "Mika" (top left) adopts a pointed arch fairing and a composite guidance method, with a maximum range of up to 50 kilometers; the passive infrared guidance type "Mika" (bottom left) adopts a hemispherical fairing with an optical window, equipped with a dual-band infrared imaging seeker, which gives the fighter the ability to fight in close combat.

The characteristics of "one bullet and two ends" and "universal body", as well as the use of thrust vectoring technology, have not only become the standard equipment of mirage-2000 and "Rafale" fighters, but also let it have a place in the international arms market.

In order to occupy a greater share of the international arms market, Matera Aerospace began to develop surface-to-air/ship-to-air missiles on the basis of the "Mika" air-to-air missile. Supporting the development of launchers, shaping the missile body... After some operation, the "Mika" missile turned into a "anti-aircraft missile". Later, its submerged type was also successfully developed.

From the beginning of the "air-to-air missile" with a universal body and two ends, to the later "anti-air missile", the "family" of the "Mika" missile is expanding, but it still has not got rid of the innate "family genetic disease" - the range is not far enough.

Even in the case of the air-to-air missiles on which it "started", some countries' more maneuverable close-range combat missiles and longer-range medium-range missiles have also had a strong impact on it, which has forced it to make new changes.

At present, the French Defense Procurement Agency has authorized the European Missile Group to develop a new generation of "Mika NG" missiles. As a new generation of air-to-air missiles, it may continue the traditional "one bullet, two heads" model, on the basis of which it will adopt a new dual-pulse solid rocket engine and a more advanced seeker to increase the range of the missile and improve its maneuverability. Exactly how effective it is, time will give the answer.

(Yang Longxiao, Author Affilications:National University of Defense Technology)

Source: People's Liberation Army Daily