MBDA's Meteor beyond visual-range air-to-air missile programme will advance into its pre-production industrialisation phase this year, following the completion of the first phase of development activities and flight testing.
The milestone comes following a 6 March guided firing conducted over Sweden's Vidsel test range, when a Saab Gripen released a Meteor from a rail launcher at Mach 0.9 and 18,000ft (5,500m).
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The weapon engaged its ramjet engine before intercepting a subsonic aerial target, and also demonstrated its datalink connectivity with the launch aircraft.
MBDA says the test "concludes a series of development firings to prove the overall performance of the missile and its subsystems in terms of guidance, propulsion, datalink and fuze," says MBDA.
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"With every parameter of the missile proven, definition of the pre-production standard can be finalised," says Dave Armstrong, the company's Meteor multinational programme director.
The UK's partner nations France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden are also expected to take up their production options for the weapon during 2008, he adds.
The UK is the only nation to have so far committed to production of the Meteor, which is scheduled to achieve initial operating capability with its Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons in 2013 under a development and production deal worth almost £1.2 billion ($2.4 billion).
The weapon is also a candidate for internal carriage by the UK's future Lockheed Martin F-35s, although MBDA has yet to succeed in its efforts to have the design integrated with the Joint Strike Fighter.
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Source: FlightGlobal.com
