Have Rain - Popeye's kid brother
Rafael is developing what it believes will be a very cost-effective anti-ship version of the AGM-142 Popeye with a man in the loop guidance capability.
A new anti-ship missile revealed in London could appeal to the Royal Australian Air Force which already has a version of the missile in service. Rafael revealed plans for an anti-ship version of the AGM-142 Popeye air-to-surface missile at the SMI Conference on Anti-Ship Missiles held in London at the end of October.
Development of Popeye began in the early 1980s to provide the Israeli Air Force (IAF) with a TV-guided stand-off weapon for use against high value targets such as bridges and bunkers. The initial version began production for the IAF as Popeye 1 in 1989 and was selected not only for the IAF but also for the US Air Force (USAF) as the AGM-142A Have Nap for use from B-52s and by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for the F-111.
The original system consisted of a 856kg tracking datalink pod (AN/ASW-55 in USAF service) and a 1,360 kg missile with 350kg blast-fragmentation warhead which it can deliver to targets up to 80 km away. The missile is launched and then guided to the target by the launch aircraft using TV images from the missile's Charge Coupled Device (CCD) camera and guidance commands relayed through the pod.
A US production line was established in 1997 by Precision Guided Systems United States (PGSUS), a partnership of Rafael and Lockheed Martin. The weapon has been improved by the USAF with imaging infra-red seeker (AGM-142B) while versions with penetration warheads exist as AGM-142C (TV seeker) and AGM-142D (IIR seeker). An improved IIR seeker is being developed by Rafael for the AGM-142E version.
A version for use by strike aircraft with only a pilot has been developed as Popeye 2 with smaller motor and improved electronics including Global Positioning System (GPS) reducing the weight to 1,130 kg. This version, known as Have Lite has the same selection of sensors and payloads as Have Nap but a range of more than 75 km although acquisition costs are nearly halved. Development is now complete and the weapon is being marketed for export by PGSUS.
Because Have Lite has a Circular Error Probability (CEP) of 3 metres Rafael is planning to use this as a Post Production Product Improvement for an anti-ship version as Have Rain. The missile will weigh some 900 kg, allowing four to be carried by a P-3 Orion Multi-role Maritime Aircraft (MMA) and will have a new 180 kg warhead designed to penetrate through deck spaces and explode as it enters the water. A combined TV/IIR seeker will be provided and also special software for the new role.
Rafael envisages the missile being launched to make high angle diving attacks exploiting the blind zone above the vessel which many warships have. It also permits attacks upon smaller warship targets such as surfaced submarines.
The electro-optic guidance system and man-in-the-loop guidance philosophy mean not only that attacks can be made with great precision to reduce the risk of collateral damage but also that the risk to civilian or neutral shipping will be greatly reduced. The missile can also be used to attack land targets and is likely to be a third to a quarter of the cost of conventional anti-ship missiles
Rafael regards the individual elements which turn Have Lite into Have Rain as being developed and proven and simply requiring integration but they will not do so until a customer provides a firm commitment. Australia already has the targeting pods for the F-111 and Have Rain as well as Have Lite might prove attractive for both the Hornets and the Orions.
By Ted Hooton, London