RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile

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RIM-116 test firing

RAM Launcher on German Gepard class fast attack craft Wiesel

The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) is a small, lightweight, infrared homing surface-to-air missile in use by the United States, German Navy and ROK Navy. It is intended primarily as a point-defense weapon against anti-ship cruise missiles. The missile got its name since it rolls in flight to provide stability.

The onboard Mk 49 launcher installation weighs 5,777 kilograms and stores 21 missiles. This weapon doesn't have its own sensors so it has to be integrated with a ship's combat system which points it to targets. On US ships it's integrated with the AN/SWY-2 and Ship Self Defense System combat systems.

The RIM-116 was developed by General Dynamics under a July 1976 agreement with Denmark and West Germany. (The General Dynamics missile business was later acquired by Hughes Aircraft and is today part of Raytheon.) The first 30 were built under FY 85 and became operational on November 14 1992 aboard the USS Peleliu (LHA-5). The U.S. Navy hopes to purchase 1,600 RAMs and 115 launchers to equip 74 ships. The RIM-116 is currently used on several American and 25 German warships. Greece and South Korea have also signed procurement contracts.

Contents

1 Variants

1.1 Block 0
1.2 Block 1
1.3 HAS
1.4 Sea RAM

2 General Characteristics (Block 1)
3 References

Variants

Block 0

Also known as RIM-116A in US service, the original version called Block 0 is based on the AIM-9 Sidewinder, from which it took the rocket motor, fuze and warhead. Block 0 missiles initially home in on active radiation emitted from a target (such as the radar of an incoming antiship missile). Terminal guidance is done by infrared seeker derived from the FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS missile. In test firings Block 0 missiles achieved hit rates of over 95%.

Block 1

Block 1 (RIM-116B) is an enhanced version of the RAM missile that adds infrared-only guidance which enables it to intercept missiles that are not emitting any radar signals. Block 0's passive radar homing capabilities are retained.

HAS

1998 a memorandum of understanding has been signed by Germany and the United States to improve the system, so it can also engage Helicopters, Aircraft and Surface targets. The developed HAS upgrade is a mere software modification that can be applied to all Block 1 RAM missiles.

Sea RAM

Sea RAM has been developed as direct replacement for the much shorter ranged gun-based Phalanx system, which unlike RAM is not able to deal with multiple targets coming in simultaneously and has lower kill chances, especially against erratic moving missiles.

See Close-in weapon system for more information about the disadvantages of gun-based CIWS.

It combines Phalanx' hardware (Radar and mount) with an 11 cell RAM launcher to produce an autonomous system, which doesn't need any external information to engage threats. Sea RAM thus can (like Phalanx) be fitted to all kind of ships, e.g. also on replenishment ships which usually don't have integrated combat systems and only limited sensors.

General Characteristics (Block 1)

Primary Function: Surface-to-Air Missile
Contractor: Raytheon, RAM Systems Germany
Length: 2780 mm
Diameter: 127 mm
Fin span: 445 mm
Speed: Mach 2.0+
Warhead: 11.3 kg blast fragmentation
Launch Weight: 73.5 kg
Range: 7.5 km
Guidance System: three modes - passive radio frequency/infrared homing, infrared only, or infrared dual mode enabled (radio frequency and infrared homing)
Unit Cost: $444,000
Date Deployed: 1992

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

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[RIM-116 RAM Rolling Airframe Missile] @ GlobalSecurity.org
[RIM-116 RAM - Rolling Airframe Missile] @ waffenHQ.de

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