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RUELLE, France: On 16 October 2008, Thales successfully launched a VT1 missile using a DCNS-designed SYLVER A35 vertical launcher. The test was conducted at the DGA/CELM test range near Biscarosse on France’s south-west coast.
During the test, Thales validated the vertical launch phase and subsequent pitch-over manouevre which sets the missile on its trajectory to the target. The VT1 was a standard configuration missile currently in volume production for all land-based and naval Crotale systems.
The munition, consisting of a VT1 missile in a canister forming the missile/launcher interface, was installed in an A35 cell. Thales will use the test results for the ongoing development of the Quadpack canister which can store and load four VT1 missiles per A35 cell. Quadpack canisters will thus allow ships to carry sixteen VT1 missiles per four-cell module.
“This test marks an important milestone after several years of intensive R&D by DCNS teams. It follows the completion of the A35 qualification programme in 2007. The test’s success is a credit to the ongoing cooperation between DCNS and Thales, begun in 2006, to optimise the VT1/A35 configuration. It opens up a number of new possibilities for the A35 launcher which can also fire other missiles in the same class,” said Pascal Gambiez, head of DCNS’s Naval Equipment business unit.
SYLVER vertical missile launchers are manufactured at DCNS’s Ruelle plant in south-west France. They have been selected by six navies including the Royal Navy and the Italian and French navies. The range comprises the SYLVER A35, A43, A50 and A70. All offer very high launch rates while ensuring the complete safety of ship and crew.
The DCNS Group is one of Europe’s leading players on the world market for naval defence systems. To meet customer demands for more comprehensive and integrated systems, DCNS acts as prime contractor for naval shipbuilding, integration and support by combining its own development, marketing and production capabilities with those of selected partners. The DCNS Group employs 13,000 people and generates annual revenues of around EUR 2.8 billion.
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