{"id":54620,"date":"2016-03-17T21:02:48","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T21:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2016\/03\/17\/uk-backs-mbda-on-mini-cruise-missile-requirement\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:07:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:07:13","slug":"uk-backs-mbda-on-mini-cruise-missile-requirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/home\/2016\/03\/17\/uk-backs-mbda-on-mini-cruise-missile-requirement\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Backs MBDA on Mini-Cruise Missile Requirement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Originally published at 5:02 p.m. ET on March 17; updated with formatting edits on March 18<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LONDON\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Britain&#8217;s Defence Ministry<span class=\"rte rte-comment\"> of Defence<\/span> is expected to extend MBDA\u2019s assessment phase contract on the SPEAR Capability\u00a03 missile program, leaving no room for the moment for Raytheon Systems to secure a foothold in the requirement for it\u2019s Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II), according to a source familiar with the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No formal decision has been announced to continue solely with development of MBDA&#8217;s Selective Precision Effects at Range (SPEAR) missile development, but the MoD&#8217;s Investment Approvals Committee (IAC) has considered the business case in the last few weeks and opted to recommend to higher officials that they continue\u00a0with work being undertaken by the European complex weapons maker, said the source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The IAC met a couple of weeks ago and they have recommended to progress the MBDA option. At this stage their considerations don&#8217;t appear to include the SDB II,&#8221; the\u00a0source\u00a0said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">Ministry of <\/span>Defence Ministry spokesman confirmed the IAC had received a business case for the next stage of the weapon\u2019s development but declined to give details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The business case for the next phase of the SPEAR Cap 3 program\u00a0has been submitted, and formal approval is awaited. No announcements will be made until approval has been granted,&#8221; the spokesman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Selective Precision Effects at Range Capability 3, better known as SPEAR Cap 3, is one of several weapons being developed for the British military under the SPEAR umbrella.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Responding to reporters&#8217; questions\u00a0during a MBDA briefing on its 2015 results on Thursday<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">\u00a0Mar 17<\/span>\u00a0the company&#8217;s UK managing director, Dave Armstrong, said he didn&#8217;t know the outcome of the IAC deliberations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He did say though that if things went the way he hoped it was possible there could be a contract agreed in the second quarter of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although the MoD term\u00a0the next stage of work on the weapon as\u00a0a continuance\u00a0of the assessment phase, Armstrong said it was in effect a development contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said the value\u00a0of the deal could be significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MBDA has been carrying out assessment phase work on the SPEAR Cap 3 missile for several years. First mention of the assessment phase was made by the company\u00a0in March, 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new deal will likely take the program through to a\u00a0final approval\u00a0on a demonstration and production phase in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Raytheon has been looking to break the near stranglehold\u00a0 MBDA and other local companies have on new complex weapons developments here as a result of a government\/industry arrangement, and\u00a0SPEAR Cap 3 was a way of getting a foot back in the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The UK arm of Raytheon has been supplying the Defence Equipment &#038; Support procurement organization and the military with data and other SDB II information for\u00a0a number of\u00a0years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Analysts here said they weren&#8217;t surprised at a MoD decision to maintain the status quo but said it was just possible the door could open for the US weapon to compete when the demonstration and production phase comes up for a decision in 2018; particularly if Britain&#8217;s defense budget is strapped for cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Raytheon spokesman said he would not be drawn on the subject of SPEAR Cap\u00a03.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SPEAR Cap 3 is set to be part of the offensive armament of British F-35s to be operated by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The standoff weapon is being designed to allow the F-35, and eventually maybe the RAF Typhoon<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">\u2019s<\/span>, to attack a wide range of moving and stationary targets, day or night with a selective-effect warhead.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">Selective Precision Effects at Range Capability 3, better known as <\/span>SPEAR Cap 3<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">,<\/span> is one of several weapons being developed for the British military under the SPEAR umbrella.\u00a0SPEAR Cap 1 is a development of Raytheon\u2019s Paveway IV precision-guided bomb, while Spear Cap 2 is an advanced version of MBDA\u2019s Brimstone missile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MBDA&#8217;s 2-meter long Spear Cap 3 weapon is a turbojet powered mini-cruise missile with a range beyond 100 km \u2013 beyond the range of many potentially hostile air defense systems .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s would be rival, the SDB II, is a winged unpowered bomb with a range in excess of 40 miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The weapon has been purchased by the US military and is scheduled to be operational starting with the F-15 with other combat jets, including the F-35, to follow. Integration activities are already underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Audit Office, the Governments spending watchdog, effectively\u00a0endorsed the MBDA program in its <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">M<\/span>major <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">P<\/span>projects <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">R<\/span>report released late last year, saying that the SDB II fell short on a number of the key user requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was a &#8220;clear operational analysis that supports the UK procurement of SPEAR Cap 3,&#8221; said the NAO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Raytheon executives though have previously emphasized the cost-benefits of their weapon as well as it&#8217;s local production possibilities as reasons why the British should allow the\u00a0weapon to compete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Company executives have said\u00a0 components built in the UK could be part of the global supply chain for all SDB II&#8217;s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A purchase could save the British over \u00a3500 million compared with the rival MBDA weapon, they have previously said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last year Taylor Lawrence, the president of Raytheon Missile Systems, told Defense News in an interview at the Paris Air Show that the company was open to developing a powered version of the SDB II to meet the requirement if the British showed interest in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under a UK <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">G<\/span>government arrangement with MBDA and other local complex weapons suppliers crafted\u00a0 in 2006 competition was\u00a0normally excluded for companies outside the arrangement\u00a0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The complex weapons policy is aimed at helping preserve local skills and technologies while also\u00a0retaining\u00a0operational sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Email: <a href=\"http:\/\/mailto:achuter@defensenews.com\">achuter@defensenews.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The British Ministry of Defence is to extend MBDA\u2019s assessment phase contract on the SPEAR Capability 3 missile program, leaving no room for the moment for Raytheon Systems to secure a foothold in the requirement for it\u2019s Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":114518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":33,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3351],"class_list":["post-54620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"UHSHILPR2RBUBKZO2NFBITGYEA","arc_canonical_url":"\/home\/2016\/03\/17\/uk-backs-mbda-on-mini-cruise-missile-requirement\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with 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