F-16.net

IMI Systems (formerly Israel Military Industries) and Israel Aerospace Industries have jointly developed a new long-range precision strike weapon suitable for use during stand-off-range attacks.

Named Rampage, the supersonic weapon is 4.7m (15.4ft) long and has a total weight of 570kg (1,250lb). Its rocket and warhead performance and navigation suite enable the design to be deployed against high-value, well-protected targets with "utmost precision", the companies say.
Suitable for carriage by a broad range of aircraft types, including the Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter, the Rampage missile will be released from outside an area protected by air-defence systems.

Potential targets include command and control sites, communication facilities, air bases, maintenance centres and critical infrastructure, the companies say.

The Israel Military Industries (IMS) and the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) are currently at the final development stages of a new air-to-surface missile—the Rampage.r
The "Rampage" missile is designed to be launched from a fighter jet 150 km away from the target, meaning it will not be detected by the enemy's detection and interception systems.
Rampage air-to-surface missile
Israel's two big military industries have held over the past year joint experiments which have shown the "Rampage" is operational.
The stand-off method—long-range artillery launching—has been used by the IAF for many years.
The production process and sale of the 4.7-meter long missile—that weighs half a ton including its rocket engine, and has a relatively small warhead that weighs some 150 kg—will commence during the upcoming year.
The Israel Air Force (IAF) is likely to purchase the missile for its operational needs.
Among the missile features are its ability to control and monitor the extent of its shrapnel, which will make its strike surgical, accurate and with minimum collateral damage despite the fact the missile spends a lot of time in the air from the minute it is launched until it strikes its target.
However, the IMS and the IAI say that in light of the new ability developed—launching the missile up to 150 km from the target—the ratio between the accuracy and the effectiveness of the strike and the missile's large distance from the fighter jet is its most significant advantage.
The IAI's Missiles and Aerospace Division's manager, Boaz Levi, told Ynet that the missile's cost is about one third of the cost of similar missiles being sold across the world.
The Rampage already has a potential buyer, however the IAI did not reveal its identity.
The missile will be adjusted to all offense platforms including the IAF's F-15, F-16 and F-35 fighter jets and will be used against anti-aircraft batteries, enemy's headquarters, armament storages, and logistic bases among others.
The missile's warhead will be guided by a GPS system, which will allow him to strike during the day as well as the night and in any weather conditions including fog and cloudiness.
The GPS system's Achilles' heel is that it can be relatively easily disrupted. Therefore, the missile's developers added an additional algorithm-based navigation system as backup that will give the missile immunity.
The missile will have two kinds of warheads, with the first one designed for penetrating armor protected targets such as bunkers and those immune to shrapnel damage.
IMI's Fire Power Division's Manager Eli Reiter said, "Sending four fighter jets carrying four Rampage missiles allows us to strike under conditions we've never had before."
The IAF's need of precision strikes has grown over the past few years, an example of that is the strike against bases and weapon storages in Syria, for which the IDF has assumed responsibility a month ago.
Syria's army launched hundreds of anti-aircraft missiles as retaliation to the IDF's multiple strikes. At the beginning of 2018, a Syrian missile shot down an IAF's f-16 fighter jet in the Upper Galilee.

mixelflick wrote:It seems the world has grown tired of 2,000lb glide bomb weapons, due to the time they take to reach the target? Yes, yes I'm aware that such weapons cause too much "collateral damage". But even with a smaller warhead, isn't the issue these weapons take to long to reach said targets??

mixelflick wrote:It seems the world has grown tired of 2,000lb glide bomb weapons, due to the time they take to reach the target? Yes, yes I'm aware that such weapons cause too much "collateral damage". But even with a smaller warhead, isn't the issue these weapons take to long to reach said targets??

weasel1962 wrote:The question is how supportive will be from LM side.