This resemblance, and that Selenia was provided with the technology know-how of the AIM-7 (around 1,000 of which it had produced under licence), has generally led non-Italian press to refer to the Aspide as a Sparrow variant. However, the Aspide had original electronics and warhead, and a new and more powerful engine. Closed-loop hydraulics were also substituted for Sparrow's open-loop type, which gave Aspide better downrange maneuverability. Even the control surfaces are different, replacing the original triangular wings, fixed in the air-to-air and instead foldable in the surface-to-air version, to a newly designed common cropped delta fixed version.
A similar design is the UK's Skyflash, which entered service about the same time. The US's own Sparrow fleet also added a monopulse seeker in the AIM-7M versions of 1982.
Aspide, in its various versions, was used both in the air-to-air role, carried by Aeritalia F-104s in the apposite versions F-104S and F-104ASA, and in the surface-to-air naval role. In the latter role it has been replaced by the MBDA Aster. Naval Aspide launchers can be adapted to fire the Sparrow by merely switching a single circuit board.
In the mid 1980s, China imported a small batch of the Aspide Mk.1 from Italy, then signed an agreement with Alenia to produce the missile locally under license. In 1989, China produced its first batch of Aspide Mk.1 missiles using imported parts from Italy. However, due to the EEC arms embargo imposed after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, China was unable to purchase additional Aspide kits.[1] China subsequently developed its own missile family based on the Aspide Mk.1, with surface to air versions designated as the LY-60, and an air-to-air version designated as PL-11.
The rocket engine of the Aspide is produced by Turkish missile manufacturer Roketsan.[2] It weighs about 75 kg and produces 50 kN of thrust for 3.5 s.
Variantsedit
Aspide Mk.1 – Similar to AIM-7E, with Selenia monopulse semi-active seeker and SNIA-Viscosa solid-propellant rocket motor. This version was popular with export customers, and sold to 17 countries.[3] The surface-to-air systems are Skyguard and Spada.
Aspide Mk.2 – Improved version with active radar-homing seeker. Development was shelved in favor of better missiles, such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM.
Aspide 2000 – Improved surface-to-air version of the Aspide Mk.1, used on export Skyguard and Spada 2000 air-defense systems.
Aspide Citedef – Surface-to-air version of the Aspide Mk.1 upgraded by Citedef.[4]
Systemsedit
Four-tube Aspide/Sparrow launcher with Sparrow missile
Skyguard I – VSHORAD/SHORAD from Oerlikon Contraves with radar tracking, upgradeable to support Aspide 2000.
Skyguard II – Improved VSHORAD/SHORAD from Oerlikon Contraves with added electro-optical tracking.
Toledo – Skyguard with Skydor fire control system from Navantia and Aspide launchers.
Spada – SHORAD from Selenia with Selenia PLUTO 2D radar, upgradeable to support Aspide 2000.
Spada 2000 – Improved SHORAD from Alenia Aeronautica with Thomson-CSF RAC 3D radar.
Albatros Mk.2 – Naval SHORAD from Selenia, upgradeable to support Aspide 2000.
Operatorsedit
Albatros Mk.2 air defense system Mk.29 Aspide/Sparrow launcherSkyguard II cabin with radar & optics
- 320 ordered in 1988 and delivered in 1988–1997 for Skyguard Amoun SAM System; 175 Aspide 2000 ordered in 2007 and delivered in 2008–2010 part of $565m deal, for modernization Aspide; 250 Aspide 2000 ordered in 2007 and delivered in 2008–2013 part of $65 m deal for Skyguard AD systems [5]
- 200 ordered in 1985 and delivered in 1987–89 part of $230 m deal for 13 Skyguard systems, later upgraded to Skydor, with the missiles retired in 2020; 51 Aspide 2000 ordered in 1996 and delivered in 1997–99 for 2 Spada 2000 SAM systems
– 24 ordered in 1984 and delivered in 1986–1987 for use on Ratanakosin Class corvettes; 75 ordered in 1986 and delivered in 1988 for use by Royal Thai army on 1 Spada SAM system
- 144 ordered in 1986 and delivered in 1987–1989 for MEKO 200T (Yavuz class) frigate; 72 ordered in 1990 and delivered in 1995–1996 for MEKO 200T-2 (Barbaros class) frigate
- Spain will train and gift Ukraine with the Aspide 2000 missile system, with Ukrainian soldiers having finished training on 14 October. On 7 November Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced that Ukraine had received the first NASAMS system from the US, along with the Italian made Aspide.[7][8] On 22 July 2023, two ZALA Lancet drones destroyed a Aspide air defense system's fire control station and a launcher[9]
Referencesedit
^. Sinodefence. Archived from the original on 2006-05-27. Retrieved 2006-11-15.
^"Roketsan Aspide Engine". from the original on 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2014-05-01.
^. Astronautix. Archived from the original on 2006-11-19. Retrieved 2006-11-15.
^"La Armada argentina recibe primer lote de motores renovados para el misil Aspide". Infodefensa.
^. Dedalo news. Archived from the original on 2014-08-21. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
^. Cesi Italia. Archived from the original on 2014-08-21. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
^"Ukraine hails new air defences, warns power situation 'tense'". 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
^"Spain to supply HAWK and Aspide air defense missiles to Ukraine army". 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
^"우크라이나 스카이가드 아스피드 방공시스템이 란셋에 피격 당한듯 - 군사 마이너 갤러리".
aspide, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, april, 2012, learn,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Aspide news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2012 Learn how and when to remove this message Aspide the Italian name for the asp is an Italian medium range air to air and surface to air missile produced by Selenia then by Alenia Aeronautica now a part of Leonardo S p A It is provided with semi active radar homing seeker It is very similar to the American AIM 7 Sparrow using the same airframe but uses an inverse monopulse seeker that is far more accurate and much less susceptible to ECM than the original conical scanning version AspideTypeMedium range Surface to air missile Air to air missilePlace of originItalyService historyWarsRusso Ukrainian WarProduction historyManufacturerSelenia former MBDA ItalyProduced1973SpecificationsMass220 kgLength3 72 mDiameter234 mmWingspan80 cmEffective firing range25 km for SAM 40km for AAMWarhead35 kg warheadMaximum speed4920 km h mach 4 This resemblance and that Selenia was provided with the technology know how of the AIM 7 around 1 000 of which it had produced under licence has generally led non Italian press to refer to the Aspide as a Sparrow variant However the Aspide had original electronics and warhead and a new and more powerful engine Closed loop hydraulics were also substituted for Sparrow s open loop type which gave Aspide better downrange maneuverability Even the control surfaces are different replacing the original triangular wings fixed in the air to air and instead foldable in the surface to air version to a newly designed common cropped delta fixed version A similar design is the UK s Skyflash which entered service about the same time The US s own Sparrow fleet also added a monopulse seeker in the AIM 7M versions of 1982 Contents 1 Design 2 Variants 3 Systems 4 Operators 5 References 6 External linksDesign editAspide in its various versions was used both in the air to air role carried by Aeritalia F 104s in the apposite versions F 104S and F 104ASA and in the surface to air naval role In the latter role it has been replaced by the MBDA Aster Naval Aspide launchers can be adapted to fire the Sparrow by merely switching a single circuit board In the mid 1980s China imported a small batch of the Aspide Mk 1 from Italy then signed an agreement with Alenia to produce the missile locally under license In 1989 China produced its first batch of Aspide Mk 1 missiles using imported parts from Italy However due to the EEC arms embargo imposed after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre China was unable to purchase additional Aspide kits 1 China subsequently developed its own missile family based on the Aspide Mk 1 with surface to air versions designated as the LY 60 and an air to air version designated as PL 11 The rocket engine of the Aspide is produced by Turkish missile manufacturer Roketsan 2 It weighs about 75 kg and produces 50 kN of thrust for 3 5 s Variants editAspide Mk 1 Similar to AIM 7E with Selenia monopulse semi active seeker and SNIA Viscosa solid propellant rocket motor This version was popular with export customers and sold to 17 countries 3 The surface to air systems are Skyguard and Spada Aspide Mk 2 Improved version with active radar homing seeker Development was shelved in favor of better missiles such as the AIM 120 AMRAAM Aspide 2000 Improved surface to air version of the Aspide Mk 1 used on export Skyguard and Spada 2000 air defense systems Aspide Citedef Surface to air version of the Aspide Mk 1 upgraded by Citedef 4 Systems edit nbsp Four tube Aspide Sparrow launcher with Sparrow missile Skyguard I VSHORAD SHORAD from Oerlikon Contraves with radar tracking upgradeable to support Aspide 2000 Skyguard II Improved VSHORAD SHORAD from Oerlikon Contraves with added electro optical tracking Toledo Skyguard with Skydor fire control system from Navantia and Aspide launchers Spada SHORAD from Selenia with Selenia PLUTO 2D radar upgradeable to support Aspide 2000 Spada 2000 Improved SHORAD from Alenia Aeronautica with Thomson CSF RAC 3D radar Albatros Mk 2 Naval SHORAD from Selenia upgradeable to support Aspide 2000 Operators edit nbsp Albatros Mk 2 air defense system Mk 29 Aspide Sparrow launcher nbsp Skyguard II cabin with radar amp optics nbsp Argentina MEKO 360 ships 150 Mk1 ordered in 1979 and delivered in 1983 1984 nbsp Brazil 100 Aspide 2000 ordered in 1996 and delivered in 2001 2004 Sao Paulo aircraft carrier Niteroi class frigates nbsp People s Republic of China 90 Aspide Mk 1 ordered in 1986 and delivered in 1987 1991 Technology used in development of PL 11 nbsp Cyprus 130 used in existing Skyguard system ordered in 1991 and delivered in 1991 1992 deal worth 114 m included 12 launchers nbsp Ecuador 50 used on Esmeraldas Class Corvette variant of Fincantieri Tipo 550 ordered in 1979 and delivered in 1982 1984 nbsp Egypt 72 used on Descubierta Abu Qir class corvettes ordered in 1983 and delivered in 1984 nbsp Greece 75 for Elli class frigates variant of Kortenaer class ordered in 1980 and delivered in 1981 198 nbsp Six tube Aspide launcher nbsp Italy used on board F 104S used on 7 Spada SAM batteries used on 24 Skyguard SAM batteries used on 32 naval Albatros Mk 2 SAM system nbsp Kuwait 320 ordered in 1988 and delivered in 1988 1997 for Skyguard Amoun SAM System 175 Aspide 2000 ordered in 2007 and delivered in 2008 2010 part of 565m deal for modernization Aspide 250 Aspide 2000 ordered in 2007 and delivered in 2008 2013 part of 65 m deal for Skyguard AD systems 5 nbsp Libya 8 ordered in 1978 and delivered in 1983 for use on Albatros Mk 2 SAM on modernised Libyan frigate Dat Assawari nbsp Malaysia 18 ordered in 1995 and delivered in 1997 for Laksamana Class corvette nbsp Morocco Used in the frigate 501 Lt Col Errhamani Descubierta 40 ordered in 1977 and delivered in 1983 nbsp Nigeria 25 Aspide MK 1 ordered in 1977 and delivered in 1982 for Meko 360 Aradu frigate other 10 Aspide MK 1 ordered in 1982 and delivered in 1983 nbsp Spada 2000 RAC 3D radar nbsp Pakistan 750 Aspide 2000 for ground based air defence system 10 batteries Spada 2000 ordered in 2007 and delivered in 2010 2013 part of 415 m Euro deal 6 nbsp Peru 150 ordered in 1974 and delivered in 1979 87 for use on Lupo Carvajal class frigate nbsp Spain 200 ordered in 1985 and delivered in 1987 89 part of 230 m deal for 13 Skyguard systems later upgraded to Skydor with the missiles retired in 2020 51 Aspide 2000 ordered in 1996 and delivered in 1997 99 for 2 Spada 2000 SAM systems nbsp Thailand 24 ordered in 1984 and delivered in 1986 1987 for use on Ratanakosin Class corvettes 75 ordered in 1986 and delivered in 1988 for use by Royal Thai army on 1 Spada SAM system nbsp Turkey 144 ordered in 1986 and delivered in 1987 1989 for MEKO 200T Yavuz class frigate 72 ordered in 1990 and delivered in 1995 1996 for MEKO 200T 2 Barbaros class frigate nbsp Venezuela 100 ordered in 1975 and delivered in 1980 1982 for use with Albatros Mk 2 SAM system on Lupo Class frigates nbsp Ukraine Spain will train and gift Ukraine with the Aspide 2000 missile system with Ukrainian soldiers having finished training on 14 October On 7 November Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced that Ukraine had received the first NASAMS system from the US along with the Italian made Aspide 7 8 On 22 July 2023 two ZALA Lancet drones destroyed a Aspide air defense system s fire control station and a launcher 9 References edit PL 11 Sinodefence Archived from the original on 2006 05 27 Retrieved 2006 11 15 Roketsan Aspide Engine Archived from the original on 2014 05 02 Retrieved 2014 05 01 Aspide Astronautix Archived from the original on 2006 11 19 Retrieved 2006 11 15 La Armada argentina recibe primer lote de motores renovados para el misil Aspide Infodefensa MDBA aggiorna il sistema Aspide del Kuwait Dedalo news Archived from the original on 2014 08 21 Retrieved 2014 08 20 Il sistema Spada 2000 plus e la difesa dei cieli pakistani Cesi Italia Archived from the original on 2014 08 21 Retrieved 2014 08 20 Ukraine hails new air defences warns power situation tense 8 November 2022 Retrieved 8 November 2022 Spain to supply HAWK and Aspide air defense missiles to Ukraine army 2022 10 14 Retrieved 2022 10 17 우크라이나 스카이가드 아스피드 방공시스템이 란셋에 피격 당한듯 군사 마이너 갤러리 External links editAlbatros Maritime Superiority Aspide 2000 solution MDBA Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Aspide amp oldid 1223392874, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
