According to the Royal Air Force, it had never previously organized a launch campaign using AIM-132 ASRAAM air-to-air missiles. [Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile] of such magnitude.
According to a press release published on October 22, the No.[F],II[AC]6[B]IX[B]3[F] and the Test and Evaluation Squadron recently took part in a ten-day exercise in the Hebridean archipelago of northern Scotland. They were joined by F-35Bs from No. 207 Squadron.
In total, the aircraft involved in this exercise shot down 53 Banshee target drones with their short-range, infrared-guided AIM-132 ASRAAM missiles. The aim of the RAF was to ‘develop’ the ‘confidence’ of their pilots by giving them an ‘experience’ of live fire but also that of their mechanics.
“Plane and missile preparation was vital for the youngest [notre] Squadron. It gave them an opportunity to understand the challenges of live ammunition firing practice, especially since an armed aircraft requires a high level of concentration from everyone involved due to the added risks,” summarizes a weapons technician from No. IX Squadron.
RAF Typhoon & Lightning jets have carried out their largest mass launch of Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles to date. Within 10 days, pilots from 8 different squadrons successfully fired a total of 53 missiles at target drones. Full story: https://t.co/K3CUwD0Dig pic.twitter.com/az0aV8bzu4
— Royal Air Force (@RoyalAirForce) October 22, 2022
A pilot quoted by the RAF spoke of a “fantastic experience”. “Seeing the rocket disappear in the sky in front of me was an unforgettable moment. The speed at which ASRAAM missiles can fly is really impressive. It allowed me to appreciate the missile’s capabilities and gave me insight into how it might be used in a real combat situation,” he said.
This type of exercise is all the more important as opportunities to launch such air-to-air missiles are scarce, as the RAF has focused primarily on air-to-surface missions in recent years. As a reminder, the first time an AIM-132 ASRAAM was fired in action dates back to December 2021, when a Typhoon shot down an “enemy” drone over Syria.
The RAF did not specify the version of the missiles fired during this exercise. However, it is unlikely that ASRAAM Block 6 [soit la dernière version développée par MBDA, ndlr] used since this type of “complex munitions” has only recently reached its initial operational capability on Typhoon. The difference of this model from the previous ones is that it does not include an American component.