Vipera (missile)
| Vipera | |
|---|---|
 Vipera being fired | |
| Type | Air-to-air missile Surface-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | Sylva |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1981-Present |
| Used by | Sylva Sieuxerr Maracaibo |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Selenia |
| Designed | 1972-1981 |
| Manufacturer | Selenia |
| Produced | 1981 |
| Variants | Block 1 Block 2 Block 3 Block 3VL Block 4VL |
| Specifications (Block 3VL) | |
| Weight | 220 kg |
| Length | 3.66 m (missile) 4.3 (VLS) |
| Diameter | 235 mm |
| Warhead weight | 35 kg |
Detonation mechanism | HE-FRAG |
| Engine | Solid fuel rocket |
Operational range | 38 km (Block 1) 45 km (Block 2) 80 km (Block 3) 40+ km (Block 3VL) |
| Speed | Mach 3.7 |
Guidance system | Active-radar homing with mid-course update datalink |
Launch platform | Ship |
The Vipera or Viper missile is a family of Sylvan air-to-air and surface-to-air launched missiles. It was developed by Selenia in the early-1970s into the 1980s and would become a mainstay of the Sylvan Air Force and Sylvan Navy, as well as seeing modern use with the Sylvan Army. Vipera was developed with influences from foreign missile designs that were in service at the time.
It is currently being replaced by the Meteor and MICA in the air-to-air role, however due to the extensive stocks of the missiles, they are still commonly used.
Initial models of the Viper used a semi-active radar homing seeker, however by the 1990s with the Viper 3, this had been replaced with an active-radar seeker. An improved rocket motor as well as new control surfaces had been replaced. Viper 4 would further improve those, however Viper 4 would only be used as an air-defense missile, being optimized for local interception of high-performance cruise missiles and various other types of guided weapons.
In the air defense role the missile originally was employed with an 8-missile box-launcher, typically the launcher had a magazine of 16 to 24 missiles, however some ships were known to not have an internal magazine. With the development of vertical-launch systems in the 1990s, the Sylvan Navy developed MAD ahead of the EC-wide SYLVER system. MAD was only used with the Vipera missile in single-missile cells. Later a quad-pack system was developed for the SYLVER cells by the mid-2000s. The quad-pack system is also used by the SAMP/T ground-based air defense launchers, as they use interchangeable containers.