Aircraft
France Wields IR-Guided Hammer over Libya
France’s Sagem announced that the infrared-guided version of its Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM, also known as Hammer) has been fielded
Infrared 250-kg AASMs are seen on a Rafale test aircraft. The weapon has now been used in combat. (Photo: David Donald)
Infrared 250-kg AASMs are seen on a Rafale test aircraft. The weapon has now been used in combat. (Photo: David Donald)

France’s Sagem announced that the infrared-guided version of its Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM, also known as Hammer) has been fielded by both the French air force and navy, and that it has been used operationally over Libya. Designated SBU-64 in the NATO system, the IR Hammer adds an imaging infrared terminal guidance seeker to the GPS/inertial guidance of the initial hammer version, the SBU-38.

In its SBU-38 form the 250-kg AASM became operational with the French air force in 2008, and with the French navy in 2010. It has become a key weapon in the Dassault Rafale’s arsenal, its rocket booster giving an effective range in excess of 60 km.

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