Mosquito (missile)
| Mosquito | |
|---|---|
| Type | Hypersonic Cruise Missile |
| Place of origin | Tír Glas |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2016-present |
| Used by | Tír Glas, Dayashina, Rajamaa |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | GAIA |
| Unit cost | ±2.6M OSD |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | ~1,750kg |
| Length | 6.5m (with booster) |
| Diameter | 525mm |
| Warhead | Multiple, all either 340kg or 450kg |
Detonation mechanism | Tri-mode, Impact, Delay, Air-burst |
| Engine | Dual-Combustion Ramjet (DCR). |
Operational range | 1,000km class |
| Flight ceiling | >30km |
| Speed | Mach 3.5 - 8 |
Guidance system | Tri-mode, INS/GPS, I3R+ATR, mmW |
| Accuracy | 1.5m CEP |
The GAIA Mosquito (Muiscít) also known as the Tsetse Fly (named after a biting fly of the same name) is a Hypersonic cruise missile currently in service with three nations. Development officially started in 1985 under the aegis of the then Glasic International Aircraft (GIA). By 1993 Glasic Aerospace (GAe) had become a partner in the program forming a joint venture in 1994, this being GAIA. Development continued throughout 1990s and early 2000s. In 2010 the missile successfully completed its development phase. In 2012 the the missile entered low-rate initial production for use with the Royal Glasic Navy (CRTG) and Royal Glasic Air Force (ARTG) and, following further refinements achieved initial operational capability (IOC) in 2015. The Mosquito entered widespread service in late 2016, primarily as a naval weapon, near-totally supplanting the ASSM in service.
Design and Development
Mosquito is a cylindrical, wingless cruise missile powered by a dual-combustion ramjet capable of hypersonic speeds. A rear-mounted booster accelerates the missile to initial flight speed wherein the ramjet is ignited accelerating it to operational speeds. The Mosquito’s range is acknowledged to be in the 1,000km class in a high-level diving flight regime.
The Mosquito was introduced initially as a replacement for the already potent ASSM. The first vessels to receive the missiles were the Badhbh-class cruisers Fea and Lot followed the operational aviation cruisers Clíodhna and Lagertha. By 2017 Mosquito had been deployed onto a number of vessels and allegedly the Glasic submarine force.
Characteristics
GAIA describes the missile as a "rapid-response multi-platform weapon system" to be integrated on any major platform such as; warships, submarines, aircraft or land-based launchers. The only directly comparable system to Mosquito currently in service is the Zircon being developed by Letnia
In flight Mosquito, as a result of its high speed is surrounded completely by a cloud of plasma which has the unintended benefit of absorbing radio waves making the missile difficult to detect using radar. However the missile is quite visible to infra-red sensors, its skin reaching temperatures of around 2,000°F (1,093°C, 1,366K). Mosquito is able to communicate beyond line-of-sight with its launch platform, being able to improve targeting information or abort its attack entirely.
Flight Testing
Prototype missiles during the development phase were initially air-launched from Iolar strike fighters allowing work on the booster to continue without interrupting flight testing. By late 2011 it had been reported that Mosquito had successfully reached Mach 8 (6,090 mph; 9,800 km/h; 2,722.3 m/s) during test-flights and successfully struck moving targets.
Export and Technology Transfer
Tír Glas has been reluctant to proliferate either Mosquito or at a broader level the technology developed for the missile having only supplied the system to two nations before legislation legally restricted any further exports of the system or its technology. A less capable, shorter-ranged missile derived from Mosquito has been mooted by GAIA but this has yet to amount to anything.
Variants
- Surface-launched
- Ship-launched, anti-ship variant (operational)
- Ship-launched, land-attack variant (operational)
- Ground-launched, land-attack variant (tested, not yet adopted)
- Ground-launched, anti-ship variant (tested, not yet adopted)
- Air-launched
- Air-launched, anti-ship variant (operational)
- Air-launched, land-attack variant (operational)
- Air-launched, anti-radar variant (in-testing)
- Submarine-launched
- Submarine-launched, anti-ship variant (operational)
- Submarine-launched, land-attack variant (operational)
Operators
- Republic of Dayashina Air Force (RDAF)
- Republic of Dayashina Navy (RDN)
Tír Glas
- Royal Glasic Air Force (ARTG)
- Royal Glasic Navy (CRTG)
See also
- 3M22 Zircon - a Letnian missile of the same class