RIM-113
| XRIM-113A | |
|---|---|
| Type | Surface-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1976-1979 |
TheRIM-113 Shipboard Intermediate Range Combat System,orSIRCS,was an advancedsurface-to-air missileproposed by theUnited States Navyin the 1970s. The project failed to be approved for funding and was cancelled in 1979.
Concept
[edit]The United States NavyNaval Surface Weapons Centerbegan the development of an advanced surface-to-air missile for defense againstcruise missileattack in 1976.[1]Based on the previousAnti-Ship Missile Defense(ASMD) studies and known as the Shipboard Intermediate Range Combat System,[2]the new missile was intended as a replacement for theRIM-7 Sea Sparrowas the standard point-defense weapon for U.S. Navy ships,[3]with the specification calling for the capability to engage between four and fourteen independent targets at once, depending on the size of the launching ship.[2]
Development and cancellation
[edit]The designation XRIM-113A, indicating an experimental ship-launched interceptor missile, was allocated to the SIRCS project in May 1976, and contracts were awarded to three separate teams of contractors -RCA/Martin-Marietta,McDonnell Douglas/Sperry,andRaytheon/Lockheed/Univac- for initial studies of the SIRCS missile concept, in anticipation of a competitive evaluation.[3]
By 1978, the study phase of development was completed.[3]The McDonnell Douglas/Sperry team had examined the use of theBritish AerospaceSea Wolfmissile, which failed to meet the full specification, but was the only existing missile that approached the SIRCS requirements.[2]Sea Wolf was anticipated to be able to enter service in 1979 if selected as a worthwhile basis for the further development; a newly designed missile would push the expected in-service date to 1983.[2]However, theUnited States Congressrefused to allocate funding for the further development of the RIM-113 missile.[3]A proposal was made for joint development of SIRCS with theU.S. Air Force's AMRAAM project;,[2]but this came to naught, and the RIM-113 was cancelled in 1979.[3]
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- "DOD 4120.15-L: Model Designation of Military Aerospace Vehicles"(PDF).Department of Defense, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (AT&L) (Defense Systems). May 12, 2004. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on September 30, 2007.Retrieved2011-01-11.
- Dornan, Dr. James E. Jr., ed. (1978).The US War Machine.London: Salamander Books.ISBN0-517-53543-2.
- Parsch, Andreas (2002)."RIM-113 SIRCS".Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles.designation-systems.net.Retrieved2011-01-11.