Air-sol moyenne portée
| Air-sol moyenne portée | |
|---|---|
Dassault Rafale carrying an ASMP missile | |
| Type | Medium-range supersonic stand-off nuclear missile |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | May 1986–present |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Aérospatiale |
| Manufacturer | Aérospatiale (until 2001) MBDA France (2001–present) |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 860 kg (1,900 lb) |
| Length | 5.38 m (17.7 ft) |
| Diameter | 380 mm (15 in) |
| Warhead | TN 81 nuclear warhead, variable yield 100 to 300 kilotons of TNT (420 to 1,260 TJ) |
| Engine | liquid-fuel ramjet |
Operational range | ASMP: 300 km (190 mi) (estimated; the ASMP's range as well as that of its modernized variants are classified information) ASMP-A: 500 km (310 mi) ASMPA-R: 500 km (310 mi)–600 km (370 mi) |
| Maximum speed | up to Mach 3 |
Launch platform |
|
The Air-Sol Moyenne Portée (ASMP; lit. 'Medium-Range Air-to-Surface') is a French nuclear-armed air-launched cruise missile manufactured by MBDA France. In French nuclear doctrine, it serves what is referred to as a "pre-strategic" deterrence role. It is intended to be the ultimate "warning shot" prior to the full-scale employment of the strategic nuclear weapons arming the Triomphant-class ballistic missile submarines. The missile's development was undertaken by Aérospatiale's missile systems division, whose assets are now part of MBDA.
The ASMP entered service in May 1986. The development of an upgraded version, the ASMP-A, was launched in 1997 and service entry occurred in 2009. In 2016, yet another modernization program, the ASMPA-R, was launched. The first firing test of the ASMPA-R took place in December 2021 and the second in March 2022.
The ASN4G air-launched hypersonic cruise missile, under development as of 2014, is expected to succeed the ASMP from 2035 onwards.