Brazil is equipping its 36 GRIPEN fighter aircraft with a total of 100 METEOR missiles. After the first batch of missiles was successfully integrated, the second has now been delivered, as reported by the Brazilian Air Force.
METEOR is manufactured by the European missile house MBDA and is qualified for GRIPEN, RAFALE and EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON combat aircraft. As a beyond line-of-sight missile, it offers the ability to engage long-range targets such as fighter aircraft, remotely piloted aircraft and cruise missiles in a massive jamming environment through electronic countermeasures. Via a two-way data link, the missile can be provided with new data on the target during flight and, if necessary, the mission can be modified or aborted.
The missile, which weighs 190 kg, is 3.7 m long and is powered by a solid rocket engine and a ramjet engine. The maximum speed exceeds Mach 4 and the range is 200 km. In-flight navigation is provided by inertial navigation from Northrop Grumman Litef. The high-explosive warhead with fragments is triggered via impact or proximity fuses.
METEOR is in international use with users including:
- Germany
- Spain
- France
- the UK
- Sweden
