According to IHS Jane’s
Key Points
- MBDA’s Sea Ceptor system has been downselected by an undisclosed navy
- Sea Ceptor is vying with Barak-8 for position on Chile’s Type 23 frigate upgrade
European missile house MBDA is poised to secure another export success for its Sea Ceptor shipborne local anti-air missile system, but is remaining tight-lipped about the customer.
The prospective deal brings to four the number of navies that have either ordered or downselected Sea Ceptor.
Meanwhile, the company expects Chile to decide this year on a new anti-air guided weapon for retrofit to its three ex-Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 frigates. Sea Ceptor is vying with the IAI/Rafael Barak-8 missile system to replace the existing GWS 26 Mod 1 Seawolf system currently fitted to these ships.
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Chile’s Type 23 frigate
Example of Royal Navy upgrade to Sea Captor for Type 23 Frigate should be similar to upgrade of Chile’s Type 23 frigate
On the 9th September 2013, MBDA received a £250M production contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) for the delivery of the Sea Ceptor air defence weapon system that comprises of the Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) and system equipment.
Sea Ceptor will initially equip the Royal Navy’s (RN) Type 23 frigates from 2016 onwards replacing Seawolf and then be integrated into the Type 26 frigates as the primary air defence system.
Sea Ceptor ensures the Royal Navy will be deploying with the latest air defence missile system, protecting the launch vessel and nearby deployed forces under its defensive cover from a wide range of challenging airborne threats.
CAMM’s active seeker technology, soft vertical launch and compact installation footprint give Sea Ceptor an excellent defensive capability for a worldwide variety of vessels against multiple threats. The system is a compelling proposition for overseas Customers who wish to upgrade from legacy semi-active missile systems as well as for future new build vessels. Source navaltoday.com
Other aspects include the introduction of the Type 997 E/F-band 3D medium-range radar, which will provide target indication support to the Sea Ceptor system.
To minimise ship impact, Sea Ceptor installation on the Type 23s has been engineered to use existing GWS 26 Mod 1 infrastructure and interface points. CAMM missiles will be fitted in the existing VL Seawolf silo (one canister per cell for a maximum of 32 missiles).
The Type 23 Sea Ceptor fit will use two Platform Data Link Terminal (PDLT) equipments, one fore and one aft, to ensure uninterrupted 360° coverage. The PDLT provides for two-way communications between the ship and the CAMM missile; target positional updates can be uplinked from the ship to the missile in-flight, while missile status information and diagnostics can be sent back to the ship. Source janes.com
Thai Military and Asian Region 