MBDA supplies the ASRAAM and Brimstone missiles for the Malaysian FA-50

Europe’s MBDA exhibited a range of missiles at the Langkawi International Aeronautics and Space Show (LIMA) 2023, including those it provided for Malaysia’s FA-50 light fighter jets.

The company said in a statement: “MBDA’s ASRAAM air combat missile and the Brimstone precision strike missile together provide unprecedented combat performance for the light fighter. It enables the aircraft to dominate close air combat and easily engage all ground targets from the best protected tanks to mobile vehicles and attack ships – all with an extremely high payload.”

The Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) is an infrared-guided (heat-seeking/FOX2 type) air-to-air missile, produced by MBDA UK, designed for short-range combat. ASRAAM is designed to allow the pilot to fire and then turn away before the opposing aircraft can close and fire at it. It flies at over Mach 3 at a range of over 25 km. With 50 g maneuverability provided by body lift technology coupled with tail control.

The BRIMSTONE air-launched anti-tank missile is capable of defeating protected tanks, as well as other moving targets, with very high accuracy. Equipped with a high-performance, all-weather, dual-mode RF seeker and semi-active laser to engage the operator in the loop to give the ability to engage any type of surface target. Weighing only 50 kg and carried by fast jets on triple launchers, it offers a higher payload capacity for light strike aircraft such as the FA-50 compared to older missiles such as the AGM-65.