French missile systems specialist MBDA announced they tested the Mistral missile against fast boats such as fast inshore attack craft in a demonstration in front of a number of foreign delegations.
The firing was performed from a SIMBAD-RC automated naval turret firing from the land against a fast moving remotely-controlled semi-rigid boat more than 3 kilometers off the coast.
The scenario was intended to be representative of the self-protection of a vessel against an asymmetric threat (commando or terrorist attack).
In its latest version currently in service with the French armed forces, the Mistral is an air defense missile equipped with an imaging infrared seeker with advanced image processing capabilities that allow it to engage low thermal signature targets from a long distance (such targets include UAVs, missiles and fast boats), whilst at the same time offering excellent resistance to countermeasures.
The SIMBAD-RC is a remotely-controlled very short range naval air defense system that provides protection against a range of threats, from combat aircraft through anti-ship missiles to small-sized threats such as UAVs.
MBDA says the system is easy to install and thus provides small units or support vessels with a self-defense capacity, or can even ensure reinforced defense for the other types of surface vessels. Each turret supports two ready-to-fire Mistral missiles. The turret is remotely-operated, allowing the operator to remain under cover in the vessel’s operation centre, and thus ensures longer operational availability in case of a combat alert.
“MBDA is constantly striving to help armed forces make optimum use of their investments in our products”, said MBDA CEO Antoine Bouvier. “The demonstration of the SIMBAD-RC Mistral combination against surface targets reflects our policy of giving our systems additional capacities to supplement those they were originally designed to provide.”