Although the RAM Block 2 (pictured here) has a larger motor than the RAM Block 1 and 1A, all three can be fired from the same launcher. (Raytheon)
The German federal parliament's budget committee has authorised the procurement of 600 RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2B quick reaction surface-to-air guided missiles for the German Navy.
In a 22 September announcement, the German Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that the 600 missiles will be delivered between 2024 and 2029 under a contract worth EUR560 million (USD542 million). The acquisition includes additional contracts worth a total of EUR76.1 million to ensure the Block 2B systems are ready for supply and to extend the production of the LFK RAM Block 2 missile until it is replaced, the MoD added.
The RAM anti-ship missile defence system is a co-operative programme between the German and US governments, with Raytheon Missile Systems and the RAM-System (RAMSys) consortium of Diehl and MBDA Deutschland in Germany acting as prime contractors and co-operating partners.
The RAM is a ship-launched supersonic, lightweight, quick reaction fire-and-forget self-defence missile system. It uses dual-mode (passive radio frequency [RF]/infrared [IR]) guidance to engage several threats simultaneously.
The RIM-116C RAM Block 2 is an evolution of the RIM-116B RAM Block 1 missile, featuring a larger rocket motor, advanced control section, and an enhanced RF receiver able to detect quiet threat emitters. According to Raytheon, the improvements make the missile two-and-a-half times more manoeuvrable, with a range one-and-a-half times longer than its predecessors.
Block 2A modifications introduced software upgrades to the missile guidance section to enable multitarget processing.
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