F-35 fighter now armed with the 'no escape' Mach 4 ramjet Meteor missilehttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/f-35-fighter-now-armed-with-the-no-escape-mach-4-ramjet-meteor-missile/ar-AA1RSREp?ocid=BingNewsBrowseKey Points and Summary - Lockheed Martin, MBDA, and the F-35 Joint Program Office have completed key ground-integration tests of the Meteor ramjet-powered beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile on the F-35A at Edwards AFB. Engineers verified bay fit, vibration behavior, and “talkback” between the jet and missile—an essential step before flight trials.
-Meteor, already fielded on Rafale, Typhoon, and Gripen, offers Mach 4+ speed and powered flight deep into its >100 km engagement envelope, giving the F-35 a far more lethal BVR punch.
-Integrated under the Block 4 upgrade, Meteor will first arm German and Italian F-35As, with broader rollout to follow in the 2030s.
Europe’s Meteor Missile Just Gave the F-35 a Major Upgrade
According to a 4 December report, the US prime contractor for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, Lockheed Martin (LM), the European air-launched weapons consortium MBDA, and the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) have recently completed a series of ground-based integration tests with the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and the Meteor ramjet powered beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM).
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The Meteor AAM has been described by industry and military officials among all the program partners as a steep enhancement in air-to-air combat capabilities.
Achieving speeds greater than Mach 4 and with an intercept range in excess of 100 km is due to the missile’s ramjet motor.
This type of propulsion system means the weapon is moving under full power up to the point of impact.
This differs from most conventionally powered air-launched weapons, which have an engine lit only during a comparatively short boost phase after launch. After the rocket motor’s fuel supply is consumed, they will then glide unpowered to their target.
While the Mach 4 speed is cool (current Revs of the AIM-7 the AIM-120 are also Mach 4), the significant advantage of this is it remains powered longer into its envelope, which means it can maneuver more significantly longer into that envelope.
