Compass Call
🇫🇷☢️MIRAGE-IIIE and AN-52
The Mirage IIIE entered service in 1965 with the French Air Force, which received 185 units. It was born in response to the requirement for a multirole fighter-bomber designed for nuclear infiltration.
The aircraft introduced numerous radar innovations that effectively made the Mirage IIIE a third-generation aircraft. While the Mirage IIIC could not detect obstacles with its radar—and was therefore limited to operating only at high altitudes at night under the guidance of ground-based radar stations—the Mirage IIIE could fly at very low altitudes even in zero visibility.
It was this very aircraft that introduced the Doppler Radar to Europe (visible in the photo as the bulge under the nose of the plane). This was a recent invention: consider that the first Doppler radar was mounted on an American missile in 1959, and just six years later, a French aircraft entered service with this technology, allowing it to navigate blind by following the terrain information gathered by the radar.
However, mind you, it did not allow the aircraft to detect and engage an enemy plane flying below it without the ground deafening the radar by reflecting the waves.
This was because normal aerial detection still relied on the standard nose radar, which was unable to use the Doppler effect to distinguish an aircraft's silhouette from ground clutter (we would have to wait for Sweden to see this capability in Europe).
As many of you know, the Doppler effect is the change in frequency or wavelength of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the wave source. Imagine that someone throws a tennis ball at you every second: if you run toward the thrower, you will catch more balls per second, whereas if you run away in the opposite direction, you will catch the balls at a lower frequency.
This principle allowed the aircraft to navigate blind even at very low altitudes by knowing the positions of bridges, bunkers, pylons, mountains, and buildings. This truly turned the Mirage IIIE into a dangerous multirole fighter-bomber for nuclear infiltration. Indeed, in this configuration, it could carry a 15-kiloton AN-52 bomb, flying at night at extremely low altitudes to evade both enemy radar and terrain obstacles, making the Mirage IIIE a highly lethal nuke carrier.
The aircraft could be armed with six 250kg bombs and two or four 400kg bombs, or Durandal anti-runway bombs; however, range requirements usually prevented such extreme loadouts. The Doppler radar would calculate the necessary ballistic trajectory to hit the target.
The AN-52 was a 455kg pre-strategic bomb that entered service in 1972 with two selectable yield modes: one at 8kt and one at 25kt. For this type of mission, the Mirage IIIE would be fitted with two massive 1,700-liter underwing drop tanks, allowing it to execute a one-way mission up to 1,200 km away from its base.
For aerial detection, the Mirage IIIE utilized the famous Cyrano II radar, which increased the detection range to a solid 50 km—well above the 30 km range of the Mirage IIIC's Cyrano I Bis. This was because the radar had finally begun using early transistors, which reduced internal electronic noise within the device, thereby allowing it to "hear" the returning radar wave much more clearly.
The aircraft introduced numerous radar innovations that effectively made the Mirage IIIE a third-generation aircraft. While the Mirage IIIC could not detect obstacles with its radar—and was therefore limited to operating only at high altitudes at night under the guidance of ground-based radar stations—the Mirage IIIE could fly at very low altitudes even in zero visibility.
It was this very aircraft that introduced the Doppler Radar to Europe (visible in the photo as the bulge under the nose of the plane). This was a recent invention: consider that the first Doppler radar was mounted on an American missile in 1959, and just six years later, a French aircraft entered service with this technology, allowing it to navigate blind by following the terrain information gathered by the radar.
However, mind you, it did not allow the aircraft to detect and engage an enemy plane flying below it without the ground deafening the radar by reflecting the waves.
This was because normal aerial detection still relied on the standard nose radar, which was unable to use the Doppler effect to distinguish an aircraft's silhouette from ground clutter (we would have to wait for Sweden to see this capability in Europe).
As many of you know, the Doppler effect is the change in frequency or wavelength of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the wave source. Imagine that someone throws a tennis ball at you every second: if you run toward the thrower, you will catch more balls per second, whereas if you run away in the opposite direction, you will catch the balls at a lower frequency.
This principle allowed the aircraft to navigate blind even at very low altitudes by knowing the positions of bridges, bunkers, pylons, mountains, and buildings. This truly turned the Mirage IIIE into a dangerous multirole fighter-bomber for nuclear infiltration. Indeed, in this configuration, it could carry a 15-kiloton AN-52 bomb, flying at night at extremely low altitudes to evade both enemy radar and terrain obstacles, making the Mirage IIIE a highly lethal nuke carrier.
The aircraft could be armed with six 250kg bombs and two or four 400kg bombs, or Durandal anti-runway bombs; however, range requirements usually prevented such extreme loadouts. The Doppler radar would calculate the necessary ballistic trajectory to hit the target.
The AN-52 was a 455kg pre-strategic bomb that entered service in 1972 with two selectable yield modes: one at 8kt and one at 25kt. For this type of mission, the Mirage IIIE would be fitted with two massive 1,700-liter underwing drop tanks, allowing it to execute a one-way mission up to 1,200 km away from its base.
For aerial detection, the Mirage IIIE utilized the famous Cyrano II radar, which increased the detection range to a solid 50 km—well above the 30 km range of the Mirage IIIC's Cyrano I Bis. This was because the radar had finally begun using early transistors, which reduced internal electronic noise within the device, thereby allowing it to "hear" the returning radar wave much more clearly.
🇮🇹Il Mirage IIIE entrò in servizio nel 1965 con l'Aeronautica Francese e fu consegnato in 185 esemplari alla forza aerea del paese, nacque in risposta alla necessità di un cacciabombardiere multiruolo da infiltrazione nucleare.
L'aereo introdusse molte innovazioni radaristiche che di fatto resero il Mirage IIIE un aereo di terza generazione, fu infatti il pioniere in Francia dei radar multimodali, mentre il Mirage IIIC non poteva rilevare ostacoli col radar, e quindi di notte poteva operare solo ad alta quota guidato dalle stazioni radar a terra, il Mirage IIIE poteva volare a bassissima quota anche senza visibilità.
Fu proprio questo aereo ad introdurre in Europa il Radar Doppler (nella foto si tratta di quella gobba sotto il muso dell'aereo), un'invenzione recente, pensate che il primo radar doppler fu montato nel 1959 su un missile Americano, e dopo soli 6 anni entrava in servizio un'aereo Francese con questa tecnologia che gli permetteva di navigare alla cieca seguendo le informazioni che il radar raccoglieva sul terreno.
Ma attenzione non permetteva di poter rilevare un'aereo sotto di sé e ingaggiarlo senza che il terreno assordasse il radar riflettendo le onde, poiché per rilevare gli aerei veniva utilizzato il normale radar sul muso, che invece era incapace di distinguere la sagoma dell'aereo dal rumore del terreno utilizzando l'effetto Doppler (dobbiamo aspettare la Svezia per vedere questa capacità in Europa).
L'effetto Doppler come molti di voi sapranno è la variazione di frequenza o periodo di un'onda in funzione della velocità dell'osservatore rispetto alla sorgente o viceversa, immaginate che qualcosa vi lanci una pallina da tennis ogni secondo, se voi correte verso il lanciatore allora prenderete più palline e al contrario se fuggite in direzione opposta riuscirete a prendere le palline ad una frequenza più bassa.
Questo principio permetteva all'aereo di navigare alla cieca anche a bassissima quota, conoscendo la posizione di ponti, bunker, tralicci, monti ed edifici, rendendo il Mirage IIIE un vero caccia-bombardiere multiruolo per l'infiltrazione nucleare, infatti in questa configurazione poteva trasportare una bomba AN-52 da 15 kilotoni, volando di notte a quota bassissima evitando i radar nemici e gli ostacoli, rendendo il Mirage IIIE un pericolosissimo nuke carrier.
L'aereo poteva essere armato di 6 bombe da 250kg e 2 o 4 bombe da 400kg o Durandal antipista, ma solitamente i requisiti di gittata impedivano configurazioni estreme simili, il radar doppler avrebbe calcolato la traiettoria balistica necessaria per colpire l'obiettivo.
L'AN-52 era una bomba pre-strategica da 455kg entrata in servizio nel 1972 con 2 modalità di resa atomica, una da 8kt e una da 25kt, il Mirage IIIE in questo tipo di missione avrebbe montato due enormi serbatoi subalari da 1700 litri l'uno, in questo modo avrebbe potuto compiere una missione suicida a 1200km di distanza dalla base.
Per il rilevamento aereo il Mirage IIIE utilizzava il famoso radar Cyrano II che incrementava la portata di rilevamento a ben 50km, ben più dei 30km del Cyrano I Bis del Mirage IIIC, questo poiché il radar finalmente aveva iniziato ad utilizzare i primi transistor, che riducevano il rumore elettronico all'interno dell'apparecchio permettendo quindi di "ascoltare" più chiaramente l'onda radar di ritorno
.
Compass Call
🇮🇹 VULCANO Top: 127mm Mid: 155mm Bottom: 76mm
Today we will talk about an Italian excellence, the VULCANO ammunition developed by the defense giant Leonardo, a system that is currently at the undisputed pinnacle of its category worldwide.
Studies for the development of hyper-extended range ammunition began in the early 2000s, initially for unguided versions, namely the BER (Ballistic Extended Range) family, which aimed to significantly increase the range of 155mm and 127mm artillery. We would have to wait until 2009 for the first guided versions.
Leonardo's VULCANO BER ammunition utilizes a new geometry to extend flight range. These are sub-caliber projectiles that fit 127mm and 155mm barrels thanks to sabots—diameter extenders that also serve to impart additional rotation to the projectile as it exits the barrel. The sabots are structured with slots arranged in such a way that the air forces the projectile to rotate just before the sabot separates and falls away (which happens almost immediately after exiting the muzzle).
The presence of stabilizing fins has further extended the range. The trade-off was a reduction in the explosive charge due to the smaller diameter of the actual projectile. This applied the principle of tank APFSDS (simple penetrators) to artillery, which requires HE (High Explosive) charges, thereby giving birth to a category of projectiles known as HEFSDS, which stands for "High Explosive Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot".
To put this into perspective, if we take an American M109 self-propelled howitzer, it would achieve a range of about 24 km with an ordinary projectile, and around 40 km with an Excalibur guidance kit. However, with an unguided Vulcano (BER) projectile, it would reach an impressive 50 km, which drops to 36 km if fired from a short-barreled cannon.
The leap in quality comes with the GLR (Guided Long Range) version, available in 76mm and 127mm naval calibers, 155mm land artillery, and since 2025, even in 120mm for main battle tanks.
In this version, the fired projectile is equipped with an inertial guidance system (accelerometer and gyroscope) coupled with a GPS guidance system. In the terminal phase of the flight, it activates a SAL (Semi-Active Laser) seeker; it begins to "search" for a target designated by a laser (which can be painted by a human, a drone, an aircraft, etc.) and starts maneuvering to hit it while in motion by following the laser. This allows it to strike tanks on their top armor, turning it into a standoff anti-tank weapon. Keep in mind, someone must designate the target with a laser.
There is also a 127mm version featuring a heat-seeking guidance system for precision anti-ship firing, but these are classified variants about which little is known.
The range of the guided Vulcano varies from 70 to 100 km for the 127mm and 155mm calibers, outclassing any other system in the world. Similar ammunition programs exist in China and South Korea, for example, but these are still under development rather than being a consolidated operational capability. In Ukraine, the PzH 2000s supplied by Italy and Germany regularly strike at distances over 70 km using guided ammunition, while the Italian Navy is among the very few capable of engaging other ships at 100-120 km with precise artillery fire.
Italy, Germany, Ukraine, and the United States are the operators of the VULCANO. Germany is currently integrating it into its Navy and opening domestic production lines with Diehl, while the US has ordered a new variant known as ERAP.
Studies for the development of hyper-extended range ammunition began in the early 2000s, initially for unguided versions, namely the BER (Ballistic Extended Range) family, which aimed to significantly increase the range of 155mm and 127mm artillery. We would have to wait until 2009 for the first guided versions.
Leonardo's VULCANO BER ammunition utilizes a new geometry to extend flight range. These are sub-caliber projectiles that fit 127mm and 155mm barrels thanks to sabots—diameter extenders that also serve to impart additional rotation to the projectile as it exits the barrel. The sabots are structured with slots arranged in such a way that the air forces the projectile to rotate just before the sabot separates and falls away (which happens almost immediately after exiting the muzzle).
The presence of stabilizing fins has further extended the range. The trade-off was a reduction in the explosive charge due to the smaller diameter of the actual projectile. This applied the principle of tank APFSDS (simple penetrators) to artillery, which requires HE (High Explosive) charges, thereby giving birth to a category of projectiles known as HEFSDS, which stands for "High Explosive Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot".
To put this into perspective, if we take an American M109 self-propelled howitzer, it would achieve a range of about 24 km with an ordinary projectile, and around 40 km with an Excalibur guidance kit. However, with an unguided Vulcano (BER) projectile, it would reach an impressive 50 km, which drops to 36 km if fired from a short-barreled cannon.
The leap in quality comes with the GLR (Guided Long Range) version, available in 76mm and 127mm naval calibers, 155mm land artillery, and since 2025, even in 120mm for main battle tanks.
In this version, the fired projectile is equipped with an inertial guidance system (accelerometer and gyroscope) coupled with a GPS guidance system. In the terminal phase of the flight, it activates a SAL (Semi-Active Laser) seeker; it begins to "search" for a target designated by a laser (which can be painted by a human, a drone, an aircraft, etc.) and starts maneuvering to hit it while in motion by following the laser. This allows it to strike tanks on their top armor, turning it into a standoff anti-tank weapon. Keep in mind, someone must designate the target with a laser.
There is also a 127mm version featuring a heat-seeking guidance system for precision anti-ship firing, but these are classified variants about which little is known.
The range of the guided Vulcano varies from 70 to 100 km for the 127mm and 155mm calibers, outclassing any other system in the world. Similar ammunition programs exist in China and South Korea, for example, but these are still under development rather than being a consolidated operational capability. In Ukraine, the PzH 2000s supplied by Italy and Germany regularly strike at distances over 70 km using guided ammunition, while the Italian Navy is among the very few capable of engaging other ships at 100-120 km with precise artillery fire.
Italy, Germany, Ukraine, and the United States are the operators of the VULCANO. Germany is currently integrating it into its Navy and opening domestic production lines with Diehl, while the US has ordered a new variant known as ERAP.
❤3
Compass Call
🇮🇹 VULCANO Top: 127mm Mid: 155mm Bottom: 76mm
Oggi parleremo di un'eccellenza Italiana, il munizionamento VULCANO sviluppato dal gigante della difesa Leonardo, un sistema che al momento è al vertice indiscusso nella sua categoria in tutto il mondo.
Gli studi per lo sviluppo di munizionamento con gittata iper-estesa vengono avviati nei primi anni 2000, inizialmente per versioni non guidate ovvero la famiglia BER (Ballistic Extended Range) che aveva lo scopo di aumentare significativamente la gittata dell'artiglieria da 155mm e 127mm, bisognerà aspettare il 2009 per le prime versioni guidate.
Le munizioni VULCANO BER della Leonardo utilizzano una nuova geometria per estendere la gittata del volo, e si tratta di proiettili sottocalibrati che si adattano alle canne da 127 e 155mm grazie a dei Sabot, ovvero degli estensori di diametro che hanno anche la funzione di imprimere la rotazione aggiuntiva al proiettile quando questo esce dalla canna, perché i sabot appunto sono strutturati con delle fessure disposte in modo tale che l'aria imprima la rotazione al proiettile poco prima che il sabot si separi e cada (ciò avviene quasi immediatamente dopo l'uscita dalla canna).
La presenza di alette stabilizzatrici ha inoltre esteso ancora di più la gittata, il prezzo è stato quello della riduzione della carica esplosiva dovuto al minor diametro del proiettile vero, applicando il principio degli APFSDS dei carri armati (semplici penetratori) con l'artiglieria, che necessità di cariche altamente esplosive HE, dando vita dunque ad una categoria di proiettili nota come HEFSDS che significa "High Explosive Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot" ovvero proiettile altamente esplosivo stabilizzato con alette e con sabot a scarto.
Dunque prendiamo un obice semovente Americano M109, con un proiettile ordinario avrebbe fatto circa 24km, con un kit di guida Excalibur circa 40km, invece con un proiettile non guidato (BER) Vulcano ne avrebbe fatti ben 50, che scendono a 36km qualora fosse un cannone a canna corta.
Il salto di qualità avviene con la versione GLR (Guided Long Range) disponibile nei calibri navali da 76 e 127mm, di artiglieria terrestre da 155m, e dal 2025 persino da 120mm per i carri armati.
Qui il proiettile viene sparato ed è munito di un sistema di guida inerziale (quindi accelerometro e giroscopio) insieme ad un sistema di guida GPS, nella fase terminale del volo invece attiva un cercatore SAL ovvero inizia a "cercare" un obiettivo designato da un laser (che può essere designato da un umano, un drone, un aereo ecc) e inizia a manovrare per colpirlo in movimento seguendo il laser, permettendogli di colpire i carri armati sulla parte superiore, diventando un'arma anticarro standoff, ricordiamo è necessario che qualcuno designi con un laser il bersaglio.
Esiste poi una versione da 127mm con sistema di guida a ricerca di calore per il tiro di precisione antinave, ma si tratta di varianti classificate di cui si sa poco.
La gittata dei Vulcano guidati varia dai 70 ai 100km per i calibri da 127 e 155m, surclassando qualsiasi altro sistema al mondo, esistono munizionamenti simili in Cina e Corea del Sud ad esempio, ma si tratta di programmi in fase di sviluppo e non capacità operativa consolidata, in Ucraina i PZH2000 forniti da Italia e Germania colpiscono regolarmente a +70km con munizioni guidate, mentre la Marina Italiana è fra le uniche a poter ingaggiare altre navi a 100-120km con fuoco di artiglieria preciso.
Italia, Germania, Ucraina e Stati Uniti sono gli operatori del VULCANO, la Germania lo sta integrando nella Marina e sta aprendo linee di produzione interne della Diehl, mentre gli USA hanno ordinato una variante nuova nota come ERAP.
sorry for the absence, im going trough a lot of stuff, i'll come back soon!
❤5
MBDA Brimstone 🇪🇺🇬🇧
-Photos showing it in Ukrainian service
-RAF Harrier equipped with Brimstone missiles
-Photos showing it in Ukrainian service
-RAF Harrier equipped with Brimstone missiles
🔥1
Compass Call
MBDA Brimstone 🇪🇺🇬🇧 -Photos showing it in Ukrainian service -RAF Harrier equipped with Brimstone missiles
Here is the first post in a series that will focus on MBDA, the largest European missile manufacturer. Through this series, we will examine the capabilities the European Union has achieved in terms of the indigenous production of various types of missiles (while keeping in mind that MBDA is not the only producer). One of the best products of the European consortium MBDA is the Brimstone, the most modern anti-tank system designed for airborne platforms.
The fruit of a British project that began in 1995 and concluded in 1999, it aimed to develop advanced anti-tank capabilities for the RAF. At the time, the British air force relied almost exclusively on the well-known BL.775 anti-tank cluster bombs, which were expensive for striking single targets and, above all, dangerous to friendly troops. Thus, in the 1980s, an IR-guided anti-tank version of the ASRAAM air-to-air missile was developed, designated AST1227. This was discarded due to concerns regarding countermeasures that the enemy could adopt to easily elude an infrared-guided missile. Countless solutions were attempted—proposals involving autonomous-guided HEAT submunition dispensers, unpropelled anti-tank weapons, and mini-cruise missiles—but none met all the requirements. The Brimstone won the contract shortly thereafter, in 1996. The British MoD’s focus was an affordable system that could be carried in large numbers, while guaranteeing a range sufficient to prevent at least MANPADS and anti-aircraft guns from engaging the launch vehicle.
The Brimstone was a 50kg missile featuring an excellent characteristic: a guidance system based not on a heat seeker, but rather on a millimeter-wave radar. Operating at EHF (Extremely High Frequency) with a wavelength of approximately 10-1mm, it allowed the target to be detected with absolute clarity thanks to such a small wavelength. The drawback was that waves this short are easily absorbed by the atmosphere, foliage, humid air, and rain, but this was compensated for by an incredible accuracy that minimized collateral damage. The engineering miracle lay in fitting such a small antenna inside a missile with a diameter of just 18cm, successfully achieving success rates of over 98% in operational contexts. Each launch pod carries three Brimstones, meaning an Eurofighter can operate with 18 Brimstones while retaining space for fuel tanks and short-range defense. The range is 20km when launched from an aircraft or UAV and about 12km when launched from a helicopter.
However, with the Brimstone 2, which entered service in 2015, the range reached an impressive 60km when launched from an aircraft and 40km from a helicopter—an operational range unique in the world for an anti-tank weapon. The version 2 stands out due to the inclusion of a laser guidance system, which allows an operator, a drone, or another aircraft to designate a target with a laser so that the missile hits it by following the reflection. In this way, the range is extended since there is no need to rely solely on the radar, which, as mentioned, has a limited range.
The Brimstone is completely fire-and-forget. Designed to be launched en masse, it hits lines of targets in a staggered manner without causing overkill. Furthermore, it can autonomously search for targets within an area designated by the human operator. Its offensive potential comes from a 6.4kg tandem shaped-charge warhead, which can easily penetrate any MBT (Main Battle Tank) in the world.
In 2019, MBDA presented the Brimstone 3, featuring a completely new digital architecture, advanced surface-to-surface capabilities, and an increased range. Approximately 3,200 units have been ordered by the German Air Force. Hundreds of Brimstones have been used in Afghanistan, Libya, and Iraq by the RAF, and hundreds have been supplied to Ukraine, adapted for launch from land and naval platforms.
The fruit of a British project that began in 1995 and concluded in 1999, it aimed to develop advanced anti-tank capabilities for the RAF. At the time, the British air force relied almost exclusively on the well-known BL.775 anti-tank cluster bombs, which were expensive for striking single targets and, above all, dangerous to friendly troops. Thus, in the 1980s, an IR-guided anti-tank version of the ASRAAM air-to-air missile was developed, designated AST1227. This was discarded due to concerns regarding countermeasures that the enemy could adopt to easily elude an infrared-guided missile. Countless solutions were attempted—proposals involving autonomous-guided HEAT submunition dispensers, unpropelled anti-tank weapons, and mini-cruise missiles—but none met all the requirements. The Brimstone won the contract shortly thereafter, in 1996. The British MoD’s focus was an affordable system that could be carried in large numbers, while guaranteeing a range sufficient to prevent at least MANPADS and anti-aircraft guns from engaging the launch vehicle.
The Brimstone was a 50kg missile featuring an excellent characteristic: a guidance system based not on a heat seeker, but rather on a millimeter-wave radar. Operating at EHF (Extremely High Frequency) with a wavelength of approximately 10-1mm, it allowed the target to be detected with absolute clarity thanks to such a small wavelength. The drawback was that waves this short are easily absorbed by the atmosphere, foliage, humid air, and rain, but this was compensated for by an incredible accuracy that minimized collateral damage. The engineering miracle lay in fitting such a small antenna inside a missile with a diameter of just 18cm, successfully achieving success rates of over 98% in operational contexts. Each launch pod carries three Brimstones, meaning an Eurofighter can operate with 18 Brimstones while retaining space for fuel tanks and short-range defense. The range is 20km when launched from an aircraft or UAV and about 12km when launched from a helicopter.
However, with the Brimstone 2, which entered service in 2015, the range reached an impressive 60km when launched from an aircraft and 40km from a helicopter—an operational range unique in the world for an anti-tank weapon. The version 2 stands out due to the inclusion of a laser guidance system, which allows an operator, a drone, or another aircraft to designate a target with a laser so that the missile hits it by following the reflection. In this way, the range is extended since there is no need to rely solely on the radar, which, as mentioned, has a limited range.
The Brimstone is completely fire-and-forget. Designed to be launched en masse, it hits lines of targets in a staggered manner without causing overkill. Furthermore, it can autonomously search for targets within an area designated by the human operator. Its offensive potential comes from a 6.4kg tandem shaped-charge warhead, which can easily penetrate any MBT (Main Battle Tank) in the world.
In 2019, MBDA presented the Brimstone 3, featuring a completely new digital architecture, advanced surface-to-surface capabilities, and an increased range. Approximately 3,200 units have been ordered by the German Air Force. Hundreds of Brimstones have been used in Afghanistan, Libya, and Iraq by the RAF, and hundreds have been supplied to Ukraine, adapted for launch from land and naval platforms.
❤1