Passed in November 2018 to MBDA by the Directorate General of Armaments [DGA]the order 300 Combat Interception and Self-Defense Missiles [MICA] refurbished had been eclipsed by the acquisition market for 567 new generation MICAs [NG] notified to the same manufacturer.
In detail, it was for MBDA to ensure the pyrotechnic renovation of these 300 MICAs already delivered to the Air & Space Force [AAE] as well as the Navy. Nearly four years later, the first fourteen missiles to have undergone such an operation were received on June 7 by the DGA, which then handed them over to the Joint Munitions Service [SIMu].
Carried out on the MNDA site in Selles-Saint-Denis with equipment supplied by Thales LAS, Roxel and ASB, the renovation of the MICAs consists in particular of replacing their pyrotechnic components [le propulseur en particulier] to extend their lifespan by at least ten years. This will thus make it possible “to ensure a smooth transition for the air/air ammunition fleet between now and the ramp-up of the Mica NG, whose deliveries are scheduled to begin from 2026”, explains the DGA.
As a reminder, the MICA is available in two versions depending on the type of its seeker, which can be either electromagnetic [EM] or infrared [IR]. It can be fired at targets located behind the aircraft equipped with it thanks to a target designation transmitted by link 16 by its wingman. It “also has an internal multi-target capability which allows the pilot to treat a group of nearby targets without the risk that the various MICAs fired will all attack the same target”, underlines the DGA.
It should be noted that, at the end of the modernization program to which it is subject, the Mirage 2000D will be able to carry MICA IR, which was not the case until now.
“This renovation allows the necessary resilience of the equipment used daily by the AAE within the framework of the whole spectrum of its missions and confers a technological and tactical advantage in particular in the engagements on the eastern flank of Europe”, explains the DGA.
According to the Military Programming Law [LPM] 2019-25, 50 renovated MICAs must have been delivered. Deliveries of the other 250 will be spread out until 2026.
Photo: Air & Space Force
