France’s DGA defence procurement body has conducted a first development launch of MBDA’s enhanced Mica NG air-to-air missile.
Conducted on 19 June from a Dassault Aviation Rafale test aircraft, the launch “validated the complete implementation chain of the missile in its infrared[-guided] version and its associated performance”, the DGA says.
It describes the event as “a major milestone towards the qualification of the missile and its integration into the Rafale”.
Additional firings will be conducted “to validate the full capabilities of the Mica NG in its different versions and firing configurations, at different altitudes and flight speeds of the aircraft, including supersonic,” it adds. The short-range weapon also can be carried equipped with a radar seeker.
According to the DGA, the new version of France’s in-service missile “will enable forces to face future threats that are stealthier, more efficient and faster, and thus maintain operational superiority in contested airspace”.
The Mica NG is due to become operational later this decade as part of the F4.3-standard update for Rafales operated by the French air force and navy.
