UK details SV-CAMM upgrade for Type 45

The SV-CAMM implementation will introduce the CAMM missile (pictured) into the Sea Viper guided weapon system.  (MBDA)

The United Kingdom is moving forward with plans to introduce the MBDA Common Anti-air Missile (CAMM) into the Sea Viper guided weapon system as part of an anti-air warfare (AAW) upgrade for the Royal Navy's (RN's) six Type 45 air-defence destroyers.

As a replacement for the current Aster 15 short-range missile and a complement to the longer-ranged Aster 30, the CAMM effector will provide inner layer anti-air defence while conferring a capability against fast inshore attack craft (FIAC) and low-speed air targets. To facilitate the introduction of CAMM into the Type 45, a new 24-missile silo is to be added in front of the existing 48-cell SYLVER vertical launcher silo – increasing overall missile capacity by 50% – while the existing Sea Viper command-and-control (C2) system will receive a technology upgrade.

Sea Viper is the UK variant of the Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS) developed in conjunction with France and Italy. It shares the same Aster 15 and Aster 30 active radar homing anti-air missiles and SYLVER A50 vertical launcher system (VLS) of the Franco-Italian PAAMS system, but differs in its adoption of the BAE System Sampson E/F-band multifunction radar (known as Radar Type 1045 in RN service) and a UK-specific C2 system in order to meet a more stressing performance requirement.