DEFENCE

Seawolf v Exocettest detailed

LONDON
Details of the test in which a Seawolf anti-missile missile intercepted a sea-skimming Exocet have been released by the Royal Navy. In this unique test the anti-ship Exocet was destroyed at Seawolf s maximum range of just under three miles. The MM.38 Exocet was fired from the Leander-class frigate HMS Jupiter towards a target barge anchored in Cardigan Bay, off Wales. Although it lacked a warhead, the Exocet was in every other way an operational missile, and the launch formed part of Jupiter's normal training. The Seawolf-armed Type 22 frigate HMS Brilliant lay over the horizon steaming at 90 away from Exocet's anticipated flight path. The anti-ship missile was to pass Brilliant's stern on the way to its target. The test geometry resembled the "goalkeeper" role performed by Type 22s in the Falklands, with the Seawolfarmed frigate placing itself between a high-value ship and the expected threat. The barge represented an aircraft carrier or merchantman. As Jupiter was over the horizon, Brilliant had no early warning of the Exocet launch. As the missile appeared over the horizon it was detected by Brilliant's Marconi 967 pulseDoppler surveillance radar. After automatic threat evaluation the target was handed over to the stern Seawolf system and acquired by its Marconi 910 tracking radar. Because the Exocet was skimming only metres above the sea surface, TV tracking was selected by the Seawolf operator, who then used a joystick to keep aiming crosshairs on the target while a Seawolf was automatically guided on to his line of sight. Seawolf scored a direct hit on the Exocet at a range in excess of two miles. Even without a warhead to detonate, the Exocet was destroyed. Had the first Seawolf missed, there was time for two further interception attempts, says the Navy. This marked the first time that any point-defence missile had proved itself against a real sea-skimming target. Such a test had been scheduled since 1978, two years before Seawolf entered service, but was always blocked by range safety considerations. Rules were temporarily relaxed during the Falklands conflict, and an element of postFalklands spirit allowed the test to be staged at Aberporth. The test was conducted for two reasons: first, to reinforce the Royal Navy's confidence in Seawolf s ability to hit a sea skimmer, and secondly to answer the question most commonly asked by potential Seawolf customers: "Can it destroy Exocet?" The answer is yes, but how representative was the trial? While admitting that the test was necessarily staged, the Navy points out that Seawolf is fully automatic from target detection to destruction. That a test is staged is of no significance to Seawolfs performance: "It's like clay-pigeon shooting. You may say 'pull', but you don't know exactly when and where the clay pigeon will appear," said one source close to the programme. Both of the Exocet and Seawolf missiles used were off the shelf. There was no augmentation of Exocet's visual or radar signatures. A wartime sea-skimming flight path was followed. For safety, the Exocet could not be fired directly at Brilliant. This, in fact, made the test more difficult for Seawolf, which is designed to defend against missiles heading directly for the ship to which it is fitted. The test geometry resulted in a high crossing speed as the Exocet headed at near sonic speed towards its tarset With the preferred TV tracking this presented the operator with the difficult task of keeping the cross-hairs on the speeding missile. In a head-on attack the target hardly moves relative to the operator. The high crossing rate also presented the Seawolf missile with a problem, as it had to fly a curved path to intercept the Exocet. Exocet is a first-generation missile. Does this test apply to second-generation anti-ship missiles about to enter service? The Navy has no doubts that Seawolf can destroy supersonic anti-ship missiles and those that can manoeuvre in the terminal stages. Stubby Seawolf is claimed to be a highly agile missile, and the reaction time of the system has been tested against buoys released from underwater to simulate supersonic missiles. This may seem an odd method, but the system can be made to react as soon as the buoy is detected, with a launch only ; seconds later. The Seawolf system used for the test is an original GWS25 Mod 0. The first GWS25 Mod 3 will be ready for installation on the seventh Type 22 frigate, HMS Brave, next September. This has the lightweight Marconi 911 tracking radar which uses a modified DN181 (Rapier Blindfire) millimetric radar instead of the TV to track low-angle targets in all weathers. The Navy hopes to repeat the Exocet test with this system. The same 911 tracker will be used on the GWS26 vertical-launch Seawolf selected for the new Type 23 frigate to be launched in 1986. Each Type 23 will have 32 Seawolf launch tubes. Some 30 Marconi 911 trackers have already been ordered by the Royal Navy. There is a proposal to use Exocets regularly for Seawolf training. As Seawolf has already demonstrated its ability to hit a 4-5in shell, these are used routinely to test Seawolfs radar tracking in exercises, the shells simulating a high-speed dive-attack missile. Currently, Rushton towed targets are used to simulate sea skimmers. These are smaller than Exocet, but slower. An alternative would be to acquire a drone able to mimic missile flight profiles and speeds. The Seawolf test in no way undermines the Royal Navy's confidence in Exocet. The Service emphasises that "Exocet is the most difficult target for Seawolf."

Left The Exocet dead centre in the Seawolf's TV tracker sight with the Seawolf closing the line of sight from 2 o'clock high. C e n t r e Seawolf's proximity-fuzed warhead explodes. Right The Exocet explodes

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FLIGHT International, 17 December 198