DÉFENSE ZONE
In a press release published today, Swedish manufacturer Saab announced that it had successfully test-fired an MBDA “Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile” (BVRAAM) from the latest of its combat aircraft, the Gripen E.
The Meteor missile was fired from the Gripen E at an altitude of about 5,000 metres over the Vidsel test range in northern Sweden.
“We are very pleased to have carried out the first test firing of the Meteor from the Gripen E. This is a very important milestone both for the programme and for Saab. It shows that Gripen’s weapons capability is at the absolute cutting edge”, said a delighted Mikael Olsson, head of flight test and verification at Saab.
MBDA’s Meteor is an unrivalled BVRAAM that can operate in the most contested environments. It can successfully engage a wide variety of targets, from combat aircraft to small drones and cruise missiles, at unmatched ranges.
“This success is an excellent demonstration of the close partnership between MBDA and Saab, which, after many years of active cooperation, continues to grow stronger. This test also demonstrates our shared ability to rapidly integrate weapon capabilities on the brand-new Gripen E”, says Jim Price, MBDA’s vice-president for Europe.
The Gripen E flight test programme is now focusing on further development and testing of tactical systems and on the integration of various weapons. The missile is the product of a European collaboration in which the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden joined forces to create this air combat missile.
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