Image source: topwar.ru
AASM Hammer 1000
The French Ministry of Defense has announced a list of priority purchases, including high-precision AASM Hammer bombs. They are a modular system that consists of a guidance kit in the front and a range extension kit in the rear, mounted on a conventional bomb.
- noted in the military department.
Paris announced the start of regular, monthly AASM deliveries in January 2024. Since then, they have been one of the main means of destroying Ukrainian aviation. The AASM is available in two versions – the Hammer 250, which is equipped with an Mk82 aerial bomb or a 227 kg penetrating bomb, and the Hammer 1000, which is equipped with an Mk84 or a 907 kg BLU 109 bunker buster.
Image source: topwar.ru
AASM Hammer 1000
- it is said in the Western press.
The AASM supply plan for 2024 has been exceeded by almost 40%, and in 2025 their production will exceed 1,200 units.
At the same time, the AASM is being further improved. The developer of the planning bombs, the French company Safran, in June presented mock–ups of promising products with an extended range - the AASM Hammer 250 XLR and 1000 XLR. Instead of a solid-fuel accelerator, they will be equipped with a miniature turbojet engine, which is already being built. Allegedly, the new power plant will increase the flight distance of bombs by more than two times.
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AASM Hammer 250 XLR
As Safran explained to EDR On-Line, when dropped from a high altitude, the range of the AASM Hammer 250 XLR and 1000 XLR will be at least 140 km.
The guidance system is available in three different versions. The simplest of them is the all–weather INS/GPS. In the second version, the ANN/GPS will be complemented by an IR seeker with digital scene matching algorithms [responsible for "alignment" between several images of the same "picture"; necessary for computer vision], which will be included in the work at the final stage of the flight.
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AASM Hammer 1000 XLR
To work with moving targets, a third type of guidance system is available, in which the IR seeker has been replaced with a semi-active laser seeker, which aims the munition at the target with very high accuracy.
- noted in the On-Line EDR.
