The French defense procurement agency has conducted the first long-range firing of the MAST-F, or AKERON LP, air-to-ground missile.
The missile’s overall behavior for a typical trajectory and the tube’s safe platform separation were assessed during the trial.
A missile prototype, including a telemetry system for data collection, was fired from a crane launcher at the French firing center DGA Essais de Missile in the south.
It validated the consolidation of the missile’s aerodynamics and guidance as well as the thrust of the booster and the main propulsion system.
The booster provides the initial acceleration to the projectile while the main propulsion supplies it with energy for a flight of 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the ground.
The missile’s wing and fin opening systems were also validated, confirming the safety barriers.
MBDA is the MAST-F program’s prime contractor, while the country’s defense procurement agency and the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation are its subcontractors.
The missile will be outfitted on the French Army’s Tiger Mk III helicopters, which are expected to be delivered from 2029.
MAST-F Program
The MBDA missile is planned to provide a leap over third and fourth-generation air-to-ground weapons such as the American AGM-114 Hellfire.
Its primary superior features will be its range and precision.
The MAST-F’s intended range from rotary-wing platforms is 8 kilometers (5 miles), while with unmanned aerial platforms, it is likely to hit a target from 20 kilometers (12.4 miles).
For precise guidance, the missile is equipped with a high-resolution multi-band imager, data links, and multi-mode guidance algorithms.
They allow multiple modes of engagements: fire and forget, human-in-the-loop, locking the target before firing, or locking on after firing for beyond-line-of-sight engagements.
Additionally, it comes with multi-effect warheads to cater to a diverse set of battlefield demands: anti-tank, anti-infrastructure, and anti-personnel.
