At the end of 2022, the DGA (French Directorate General of Armament) announced the qualification of the AASM 1000 GS munition (a 1,000 kg modular air-to-ground weapon with GPS and inertial guidance) and its support system.
The AASM 1000 is one of the new capabilities integrated to the Rafale’s F4 standard, with qualification of the first increment (F4.1) scheduled for the end of January. It will be used by the French Air Force and Navy, in particular from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
The AASM 1000 is designed to be installed on the US-origin Mk84 and BLU109 high-power bomb bodies, but also on the new developments in progress by the French company ARESIA (BA84 and P1000 bomb bodies).
It consists of a GPS and inertial guidance kit and a range augmentation kit. The latter, which uses a propellant, makes it possible to considerably extend the firing range compared to a non-propellant ammunition. Both kits are directly derived from the latest version of the AASM 250, now adapted to fit 1,000 kg bombs. The AASM 250 ammunition (250 kg version), in service with the French Air Force since 2008, has been successfully tested in combat in various theaters of operations.
The French Air Force and Navy armorers carry out the assembly of the AASM 1000 (installation of the guidance and range-enhancement kits on the bomb bodies) and the parameterization of the ammunition according to the mission requirements. The support system available to users includes assembly tools, test benches and documentation on use and maintenance for ammunition commissioning.
The standard F4.1 Rafale fighter will be able to carry up to three AASM 1000 (one ventral and one under each wing). The development of the AASM 1000 ammunition was carried out with the active participation of technical experts from the French Air and Space Forces, the French Navy and the Service Commun de Munitions (SIMu), in order to take into account the recommendations and needs of the end users as early as possible in the industrial work.
The various qualification tests of this ammunition were carried out at the DGA test centers (DGA Essais de missiles, DGA Techniques aéronautiques, DGA Techniques terrestres and DGA Essais en vol) with the manufacturers Safran Electronics & Defense and Dassault Aviation. In particular, qualification firings performed on the Rafale F4.1 confirmed the compatibility of the AASM 1000 with the new Rafale standard and the performance of the ammunition.
Delivery of the first kits to SIMu started following this qualification and should continue in 2023.
