Having test fired the Derby Beyond Visual Range (BVR) active radar-guided air-to-air missile on the LCA TEJAS in February 2016, and RAFAEL having unveiling its new extended range version of its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) active radar-guided air-to-air missile, the I-Derby-ER (Extended Range) in Oct 2015, it would be interesting to learn about this iconic series of air-to-air combat assets. The I-Derby-ER is an evolutionary version of the Derby BVR missile, and it entered service in the mid-1990s and is fielded with six customers worldwide which includes India.
The I-Derby-ER variant has an advanced solid-state Software Defined Radar (SDR) which is based on combat proven technologies of RAFAEL's Iron Dome Missile Defense System. The new seeker is lighter and more compact than its predecessor, paving the way to augment its propulsion system for the terminal phase. This new addition increases the range of the I-Derby ER beyond 100 km., significantly more than its current short-medium range capability.
A RAFAEL engineer explains “This phase is not serial, but operates independently of the primary rocket propulsion as it is activated at any time during the fight, by the flight control system.”, which means that the added propulsion system improves the missile’s performance. He goes on to add "The second pulse would likely kick in when the missile is closing on its target, accelerating it and increasing its kinematic envelope."
The SDR technology is a significant addition since the missile seeker software can be upgraded such as duty cycles and processing techniques, new waveforms, addressing new threats, countermeasures and techniques that may evolve during the lifespan of the missile. Like many other modern BVR missiles the I-Derby ER has the ability to lock onto targets before and after launch, enabling the weapon to engage targets at all ranges.
Currently completing development, I-Derby ER will soon be available for delivery for new orders, or replacement of existing stocks. “We already have several customers seeking long-range intercept capabilities, some are looking at I-Derby ER as the most suitable and affordable solution for their requirements,” says RAFAEL.
India and Israel have recently agreed to work on an enhanced variant of ELTA's airborne Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) fire control radar (EL-2052) for Tejas MK-1A fighter aircraft and will also features the I-Derby-ER BVRAAM as the front runner along with the indigenous Astra Air Defence System.
Indian engineers have already integrated & tested the previous generation of Derby missiles on the Tejas MK-1 jet, which will be demonstrating the first BVR missile firing capabilities in the Iron fist 2016 Exercise where Tejas is expected to demonstrate its swing role capabilities while engaging ground based target and switch to fire BVR missile in same mission simultaneously. This will be a significant achievement in ensuring engagement of hostile intrusions in the beyond visual range combat scenarios, it is also worthy to note that only a select few have this aggregated capability.
Meanwhile, I-Derby ER integration tests are currently under way on the Tejas.
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Admin - IDN