Missile boat

US Navy SUPER DEADLY griffen anti boat missile system

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• published: 27 Jan 2015
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The US Navy griffen anti boat missile will provide the US Navy good protection against attacks from small boats. The AGM-176 Griffin is a lightweight, precision kinetic effects munition[2] developed by Raytheon. It has been designed to be launched from the ground or air as a rocket-powered missile or dropped from the air as a guided bomb. It is intended as a precision low-collateral damage weapon with a relatively small warhead for the kinds of "irregular warfare operations" encountered on battlefields such as Afghanistan where it has been successfully proven in combat. Type Air-to-ground missile Place of origin United States of America Service history In service 2008–present Used by United States Air Force United States Navy United States Marine Corps Central Intelligence Agency Wars War in Afghanistan Iraq War Production history Manufacturer Raytheon Produced 2008–present Specifications Weight 45 pounds (20 kg) (w/ launch tube) Length 42 inches (110 cm) Diameter 5.5 inches (140 mm) Warhead Blast-fragmentation Warhead weight 13 lb (5.9 kg) Propellant Solid fuel rocket Operational range 3.5 mi (5.6 km) surface launch[1] 12.5 miles (20.1 km) at altitude[1] Guidance system Laser, GPS or INS Launch platform MQ-1, MQ-9 and other UAVs Naval use[edit] Raytheon developed an extended range version of the Griffin for integration onto Littoral Combat Ships. The Sea Griffin has a new motor and guidance system to increase its firing range from an LCS. Raytheon faced competition in equipping the LCS with a missile, as the Navy looked for other vendors. Competition came from MBDA with the Sea Spear version of its Brimstone missile. Both missiles intended to give the LCS protection from small boat swarm attacks.[11] The Navy instead selected the AGM-114L Hellfire to equip the LCS. The decision was made from the ship's use of the Saab’s Sea Giraffe radar. While each Griffin requires a semi-active laser to paint a target, so a volley of them can only engage one target at a time, the Longbow Hellfire missiles can use the ship's and their own millimeter wave radar to separately track and engage multiple targets at the same time.[12] In September 2013, Raytheon and the U.S. Navy demonstrated the Griffin missile's ability to engage fast-moving small boats from various platforms throughout a series of at-sea tests. The MK-60 Patrol Coastal Griffin Missile System was integrated on a Cyclone-class patrol ship, where the missile was successfully employed against remote-controlled boats simulating a threat to the ship.[13] The MK-60 Patrol Coastal Griffin Missile System achieved initial operational capability (IOC) with the U.S. Navy in March 2014, which is intended to provide protection for vessels in littoral areas against swarm boat attacks and other threats. The MK-60 includes the Griffin missile, a laser targeting system, a Navy-designed launcher, and a battle management system.[14] Each Mk-60 can launch four missiles, and a patrol ship has two MK-60 launchers on board. The U.S. Navy began installing Griffin missiles on Patrol Craft in 2013 and as of May 2014, four were outfitted with Griffin missile systems, with plans to equip ten PCs by 2016. When mounted on a ship, the missile is designated the BGM-176B. Arming PCs with Griffin missiles adds a layer of defense to the ships beyond the range of their 25 mm gun mounts, out to 4.5 km (2.8 mi), and also provides 360 degree coverage; the missiles have thrust-vectoring engines to quickly be directed to the target even when launched vertically. Installation onto a PC involves adding the launcher and weapons control system, the BRITE Star II sensor/laser designator, and the Griffin B Block II missile in a process taking one month.[15][16] Raytheon is continuing to self-fund the development of the Sea Griffin to extend the missile's range. The Sea Griffin will use a dual-mode seeker with an imaging infrared seeker and semi-active laser guidance, as well as using a data-link to track multiple threats simultaneously and give it a fire-and-forget capability. The new seeker and an extended range rocket motor, which will add 9.1 kg of weight, will increase the range of the Sea Griffin to 15 km.[15][16] Tests of the Sea Griffin have demonstrated the ability of the new imaging infrared (IIR) seeker to stream video back to operators through the data-link to provide verification before the missile strikes the target.[17] It also has an In-Flight Target Update (IFTU) capability to be redirected to a new target in mid-flight, a vital feature against swarming small boat threats moving between friendly forces and neutral shipping. The Sea Griffin has been renamed the Griffin C.[18] Development[edit] Raytheon developed Griffin as a low-cost modular system, using components from earlier projects, among others the FGM-148 Javelin and the AIM-9X Sidewinder. It was originally designed to be launched from the MC-130W 'Dragon Spear' gunship for the US Special Operations Command.