CAMM (missile family)

The CAMM (Common Anti-Air Modular Missile) is a family of surface-to-air missiles developed by MBDA UK for the United Kingdom. CAMM shares some common features and components with the ASRAAM (Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile), but with updated electronics and an active radar homing seeker.

CAMM (Common Anti-Air Modular Missile)
An MBDA computer generated graphic showing a CAMM missile in flight
Type
  • CAMM: short range anti-aircraft and anti-missile missile
  • CAMM-ER: short range anti-aircraft and anti-missile missile
  • CAMM-MR: medium range anti-aircraft and anti-missile missile
Place of originUnited Kingdom
United Kingdom & Italy (CAMM-ER)
United Kingdom & Poland (CAMM-MR)
Service history
In service
  • Sea Ceptor – 2018
  • Sky Sabre – 2021
Production history
DesignerMBDA UK
MBDA & Avio (CAMM-ER)
Designed2004
Specifications
Mass
  • CAMM: 99 kg (218 lb)
  • CAMM-ER: 166 kg (366 lb)
Length
  • CAMM: 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
  • CAMM-ER: 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
Diameter
  • CAMM: 166 mm (6.5 in)
  • CAMM-ER: 190 mm (7.5 in)
Wingspan450 mm (18 in)
WarheadHigh-explosive blast fragmentation warhead with proximity and impact fuze
Warhead weight10 kg (22 lb)
EngineSolid-fuel rocket motor
Operational
range
  • CAMM: > 25 km (16 mi)
  • CAMM-ER: > 45 km (28 mi)
  • CAMM-MR: > 100 km (62 mi)
Flight altitude10,000 m (33,000 ft)
Maximum speed Mach 3 (1,029 m/s; 3,376 ft/s)
Guidance
system
Inertial guidance system with mid-course update and active radar terminal homing
Steering
system
Four folding cruciform wings
ReferencesJanes[1][2]

As Sea Ceptor, CAMM is replacing the Sea Wolf missile on Type 23 frigates of the Royal Navy since 2018.[3] As Land Ceptor, it is the missile part of the Sky Sabre air defence system, which since 2021 has been replacing the Rapier missile in British Army service. The system is also contributing to the updating of MBDA's ASRAAM in service with the Royal Air Force.

An extended-range version of the CAMM (CAMM-ER) was co-developed with Italy and is capable of reaching targets over 45 km away.[4] A larger CAMM-MR missile with a range of over 100 km is being co-developed with Poland[5] to equip Polish Miecznik class frigates, Patriot batteries and British platforms.

Development

The Common Anti-Air Modular Missile has its roots in a Technology Demonstration Programme (TDP), jointly funded by MBDA and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as part of the United Kingdom's Future Local Area Air Defence System (FLAADS).[6] FLAADS is part of a wider UK 'Team Complex Weapons' programme to deliver a variety of weapons and maintain UK sovereign capability in this area.[7] FLAADS is intended to deliver a common weapons platform, the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM), to equip forces in the air, land and maritime environments.[8][9] During the early stages of the FLAADS programme, requirements were identified for the new missile to meet both current and anticipated threats, namely "airborne targets which are typified by high speed, rapid evasive manoeuvres, low signatures and advanced countermeasure[s]."[10]

Phase 1 of the TDP worked on technologies for soft vertical launch, the low-cost active radar seeker, a dual-band two-way datalink and a programmable open systems architecture.[6] Phase 2 began in 2008 and covered the manufacture of flight-worthy subsystems, mid-course guidance firings and captive airborne seeker trials on a Qinetiq Andover experimental aircraft.[6] The Soft Vertical Launch was proven over a series of trials, culminating in a successful truck launch in May 2011.[11] In January 2012 the MoD awarded MBDA a £483 million contract to develop FLAADS (Maritime) to replace Sea Wolf missiles on Type 23 frigates.[7]

Originally, the CAMM programme aspired to provide land, sea and air-launched capabilities, but it was deemed more effective to instead develop CAMM for use for land and sea only, while using the well established ASRAAM to cover the air-launched role. However, technologies and components developed for CAMM have been used as part of an upgrade to ASRAAM.[12][13]

Development costs were reduced by a using modular design and minimised complexity.[6] Additionally, the command and control software reuses over 75% of that developed for the PAAMS system.[14]

Milestones
  • In January 2012, MBDA and the Ministry of Defence announced a contract worth £483 million to fully develop the maritime application of CAMM known as Sea Ceptor for the Royal Navy.[15]
  • In October 2013, the Royal New Zealand Navy selected CAMM to equip their Anzac-class frigates HMNZS Te Kaha and HMNZS Te Mana.[16]
  • In August 2014, the Chilean Navy emerged as a potential export customer for CAMM to equip their Type 23 frigates.[17]
  • In November 2014, the Brazilian Navy selected CAMM to equip their future Tamandaré-class frigates.[18]
  • In January 2015, the Ministry of Defence announced that it had signed a development and manufacturing deal with MBDA in late December 2014.[19]
  • In May 2016, the Spanish Navy selected CAMM-ER to equip their future F110-class frigates. Later in 2018 the missile lost against RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile Block II[20]
  • In September 2017, the first Sea Ceptor missile was successfully fired at sea from the Type 23 frigate, HMS Argyll.[21]
  • In July 2021 it was reported that Sky Sabre had started acceptance trials and training with the Royal Artillery. It was planned to deploy the system in the Falkland Islands in "late summer/early autumn".[22][23]
  • In March 2022 the Secretary of State for Defence announced that Sky Sabre would be deployed to Poland, in response to concerns of further aggression from Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[24]

Characteristics

The CAMM family currently comprises the following missile variants:

  • CAMM "Sea Ceptor / Land Ceptor" - The point defence and local area defence variant. CAMM has a minimum operational range of less than 1 km and a maximum range greater than 25 km, although IHS Jane's reports that trials have a shown a capability of up to 60 km.[25] These ranges are significantly greater than the 1–10 km range of Sea Wolf and other systems that CAMM will replace.[26] CAMM weighs 99 kilograms (218 pounds), is 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) in length, 166 millimetres (6.5 in) diameter and reaches generous supersonic speeds of Mach 3 (or 1,020 meters per second). Can be quad-packed
  • CAMM-ER (Extended Range) "Albatross-NG / Grifo" - An extended ranged point and local area defence missile under development with MBDA and Avio for the Italian MoD since 2013.[27] Shares the same characteristics of the original CAMM with the exception of a new Avio rocket engine which significantly increases the missile's engagement range, out to 45 km and a slightly adapted missile structure. The missile is 160 kilograms (350 pounds) in weight, 4.2 metres (14 feet) in length, 190 millimetres (7.5 in) diameter.[28] Can be quad-packed.
  • MV-AMA (AVibras Medium Altitude Missile) - A Brazilian variant of CAMM under development since 2014 to meet the needs of the Brazilian Army's Strategic Anti-Aircraft Defence Program.[29][30][31] The missile is expected to have a range of 40 km up to an attitude of 15 km and be compatible with the Astros 2020 MLRS.[29] The program is expected to have 70% sovereign Brazilian industrial contribution.[32]
  • CAMM-MR (Medium Range) "Joint Common Missile" - A 100 km+ ranged area defence variant being developed in partnership between MBDA UK and PGZ as of 2023.[33] The missile is being primarily developed for Polish requirements as a low-cost, locally produced, long range missile for use alongside the PAC-3 MSE and to have a single missile that can be utilised by both ground based air defence assets and the Polish Navy's Miecznik class frigates.[34] Whilst there is little information on the missile's overall characteristics, official images of the munition shows two missiles loaded into a single Mark-41 cell making the CAMM-MR the first munition capable of being dual-packed into the Mark-41 enabling 16 missiles to be carried by a single 8-cell launch module.[34]
  • Technologies derived from CAMM and Brimstone are also being used in the development of the British Army's Land Precision Strike Missile, a 80–150 km ranged surface-to-surface missile designed compliment the GMLRS-ER for use against fleeting (moving) targets.[35][36][37]

All CAMM variants share several common features:

  • An Active RF seeker provides high performance including in all weather conditions and removes the need for complex and high-cost fire control/illumination radars.[38][39]
  • A two-way datalink allows retargeting in flight.[39]
  • Designed to remain in its launch canister, maintenance-free throughout its life.[39]
  • Designed to be integrated into new or existing naval combat management systems.[39]
  • High rate of fire against multiple simultaneous targets (Saturation attacks).
  • A "Wide target set" including a limited surface-to-surface capability similar to the SM-6.[39]
  • A Soft Vertical Launch (SVL) system that offers 360° degree launch coverage. This uses a gas generator to eject the missile from its canister, the benefits of which include increased range – by saving all the rocket motor's energy to power the intercept – reduced minimum intercept range, reduced stress on launch platforms, reduced maintenance costs, more compact installations on ships and there being no need to manage the hot gas efflux on board, reduced launch signature, and on land the possibility of firing the missile from wooded or urban areas.
  • CAMM can be used by both Ground-Based Air Defence systems (GBADs) via MBDA's iLauncher mounted to a vehicle of choice (can also be dismounted) or by naval platforms allowing for shared munition stockpiles between military branches.[11] For GBAD needs, MBDA markets the 'Enhanced Modular Air Defence Solutions (EMADS).[40] For naval platforms, CAMM's soft launch capability enables the use of low cost, low weight launch canisters colloquially known as "Mushroom Farms" due to their appearance on older platforms like the Type 23 Frigates.[38] Alternately CAMM's integration with Lockheed Martin's Extensible Launching System (ExLS) munitions adapter enables CAMM and CAMM-ER to be quad-packed and CAMM-MR to be dual-packed into existing vertical launching systems such as the Mark-41 and SYLVER.[41][42][43][39]

Operational history

United Kingdom
Sea Ceptor 32 cell 'Mushroom Farm' on the British Type 23 frigate HMS Lancaster
A Sky Sabre air defence missile system of the Royal Artillery.

Sea Ceptor entered operational service with the Royal Navy in May 2018, with HMS Argyll being the first Type 23 frigate to deploy with the system.[44][45] In Royal Navy, the vertical launch system holding CAMM on the Type 23 frigates is nicknamed "the mushroom farm" due to the round cap design of the system.[46]

The Anti-Air-Warfare Officer of the Type 23 Frigate HMS Westminster said after test firings “Westminster managed to explore the real potential of the system during her training and to say it is a real game changer is an understatement. Unlike its predecessor, the system is capable of defending ships other than Westminster herself. Whether it’s engaging multiple air threats or fast incoming attack craft, Sea Ceptor represents a massive capability upgrade for the Type 23 frigate.”[47]

Land Ceptor was delivered to the British Army as part of the Sky Sabre air defence system in December 2021, before being declared operational in January 2022.[48][49] The system has over three times the range of its predecessor Rapier.[50] This system consists of Land Ceptor missiles (CAMM),[51] SAAB Giraffe AMB radars and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Modular Integrated C4I Air & Missile Defense System (MIC4AD),[52] all mounted on MAN trucks.[53] A Sky Sabre battery consists of two fire groups each with one radar and three launchers.[54]

During the same month, Sky Sabres first deployment was announced to the Falkland Islands with a fire group replacing the existing Rapier missile deployment.[55][54]

In March 2022, the UK announced it would be deploying a Sky Sabre fire group to Poland to bolster NATO's Eastern flank following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[56][54]

In 2023, reports emerged that investment had begun towards acquiring additional launchers, a new medium range radar as well as potential procurement of CAMM-ER for Sky Sabre.[54]

Poland
  • MBDA's iLauncher mounted/dismounted launching system
    MBDA's iLauncher mounted/dismounted launching system

Operators
CAMM operators in blue, and future operators in dark grey.

Current operators
 Chile
 New Zealand
 United Kingdom
 Poland
  • Polish Armed Forces - CAMM was selected as part of Poland's Narew ground-based air defence system in November 2021.[61] In April 2022, Poland bought two CAMM system fire units (1 battery) as a bridge solution until the target version for the Narew program was developed. The set includes a total of 6 iLaunchers (3 per fire unit), 2 ZDPSR Soła radars, Polish command system and transport vehicles, and a supply of missiles.[62]
  • On the 4th of October the first fully operational unit anti-aircraft system called "Little Narew" utilizing the CAMM family missiles was handed over to the soldiers of the 18th Anti-Aircraft Regiment in Zamość[63][64]
 Pakistan

Future operators
 Brazil
 Canada
 Pakistan
 Italy
 Poland
 Saudi Arabia

Failed bids

 Finland

See also

References
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