The new missiles are being purchased to arm the Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) future fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters, according to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
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“Wholly designed and built in the United Kingdom, this air-to-air missile on our F-35 aircraft will secure cutting-edge air power for the United Kingdom for years to come”, Baldwin was quoted as saying in the press release, adding that the contract would “sustain around 400 jobs across the country”.
The updated missile variant being secured under this new contract is expected to enter service on RAF Typhoon aircraft from 2018 and on RAF and Royal Navy F-35 aircraft from 2022, when the current variant will be taken out of service.
The Ministry of Defence said the new order would see F-35s operated by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy start to use an updated version of the missile beyond 2022.
New missiles will be produced at a £40 million manufacturing and assembly facility MBDA is building in Bolton, UK, with engineering activities taking place in Stevenage and Bristol.
Integration of the CSP version of the ASRAAM on the UK’s F-35s will come under the Block 4 software upgrade that the aircraft will undergo; it is now in the 3i configuration, and will subsequently evolve to a 3F standard.
The F-35B can operate from short-field bases and ships in addition to conventional landing bases.
The ASRAAM is a short-range, infrared-guided missile capable of flying at Mach 3.
Work on the new missiles will be carried out in Bolton.
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F-35 flight integration trials on ASRAAM have already begun in the USA.
