MBDA unveils submarine-launched Exocet missile to strike naval vessels

PARIS — European defense contractor MBDA has developed a new submarine-launched missile designed to strike heavily protected naval vessels and stealthy targets.

The French-built missile, dubbed the SM40, is the latest variant of the Exocet family. The main elements that differentiate it from its predecessor, the SM39, is the integration of a new J-Band radio-frequency seeker, new algorithms tailored for high-intensity environments, and twice the reach, company officials told Defense News.

“It features a doubled range in the class of 120km with a new turbojet engine, to regain the stand-off distance in anti-submarine warfare,” Pierre-Marie Bealleau, head of business development for deep strike missiles at MBDA, said.

Belleau added that the SM40 was designed solely to equip Naval Group-made submarines, which indicates that the two systems will share the same customer range established by the French shipbuilder globally.

The SM39 is in service with several navies across the world, including France and India.

While the new submarine-launched variant is tailored to defeat highly protected combat vessels and stealth targets, Belleau noted that it also features a land attack capability, “to defeat ship at harbor, for instance.”

Similarly to its predecessor, the SM40 also uses the same launch method: a propelled and guided underwater vehicle. The missile is housed in the vehicle and is ejected once it breaks the water surface at a low altitude.

The SM40 is not yet in production, but according to the MBDA representative, given that it is based on existing and mature technological blocks, the time needed to put it on the market should be considerably reduced.

At the Euronaval show here, organized here from November 4-7, MBDA is showcasing an Exocet MM40 B3C in order to mark the 4,000th Exocet missile produced, per a company press release.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

巴黎——欧洲国防承包商MBDA公司研发出一种新型潜射导弹，旨在打击防护严密的海军舰艇和隐形目标。

这款法国制造的导弹名为SM40，是飞鱼导弹家族的最新型号。公司官员告诉《防务新闻》，它与前代SM39的主要区别在于：集成了新型J波段射频导引头、针对高强度环境定制的新算法，以及射程翻倍。

MBDA公司深空打击导弹业务发展主管皮埃尔-玛丽·贝洛表示：“该导弹射程达到120公里，是同类导弹的两倍，并配备了新型涡轮喷气发动机，从而在反潜作战中重新夺回了防区外射程。”

贝洛补充说，SM40 的设计初衷就是为了装备法国海军集团制造的潜艇，这表明这两个系统将共享法国造船商在全球范围内建立的同一客户群体。

SM39 已在世界多个国家的海军服役，包括法国和印度。

虽然新型潜射型导弹是专门为击败防护严密的作战舰艇和隐形目标而设计的，但贝尔奥指出，它也具备对陆攻击能力，“例如，可以击败港口中的舰船”。

与前代产品类似，SM40也采用相同的发射方式：由推进式水下航行器发射。导弹储存在航行器内，并在低空跃出水面后被弹出。

SM40 目前尚未投产，但据 MBDA 代表称，鉴于它基于现有的成熟技术模块，将其推向市场所需的时间应该会大大缩短。

根据该公司的新闻稿，在11月4日至7日在此举行的欧洲海军展上，MBDA公司展示了一枚飞鱼MM40 B3C导弹，以纪念第4000枚飞鱼导弹的下线。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。