NationStates

Type: Anti-Ship Missile
Length: 550cm (600cm S variant)
Diameter (Body):40cm
Fin span: 85cm (Deployed)
Weight: 840kg (940kg S variant)
Propulsion: Throttleable Ducted Rocket
Range: 200-350km depending on launch platform and trajectory
Speed: Above Mach 4
Warhead: 200kg blast-fragmentation
Guidance: Active radar seeker, IIR seeker, INS/GPS and 2 way RF link.
Launch platform: Aircraft, Ground/Ship launch with booster.
Price per unit: 3,000,000NSD.
DPR: 800,000,000NSD.


Capitalizing on the dual seeker technology developed for the Whipsnake AAM/SAM, Schwerpunkt, in cooperation with the Royal Navy, sought a replacement for older anti-ship missiles in service. Though possibly not creating an ideal solution for each use type, the Royal Navy very much desired a missile to replace both air and ship launched weapons, uniting the stockpiles around one type. The resulting NS-5 Morena (Muraena) missile is a long ranged, highly maneuverable, flexible and countermeasures resistant air or ship launched anti-ship missile.

Layout and propulsion

To accommodate the dual seeker heads inherited from its AAM cousin, Morena is similarly a “dolphin head” shaped asymmetrical missile, with four stabilizing and maneuvering fins on the rear lower section. The bottom pair of fins are foldable and deploy at launch.

Morena is boosted from launch by a solid fuel rocket(with a larger and heavier booster for ship/surface launch) , but in mid-flight and terminal attack is powered by a ducted rocket engine. As the missile is propelled forward air is collected by the intakes on the bottom of the missile, and compressed by ram effect. The compressed air is then combined into the exhaust of the missile adding thrust. In this way the system gains additional fuel from its environment without carrying it as internal weight. In addition the system is throttleable, meaning it can efficiently spend the fuel as needed, preserving thrust for the final stages of engagement and greatly extending the range of the missile.

Control of the missile in flight is done aerodynamically by four fins mounted near the exhaust. The system is optimized for high turn rates to engage maneuvering targets, while at the same time maintaining the ducted rocket intake of air. Guidance and warhead

Guidance, trajectory and warheads

Like in the air, sea combat is now a realm of beyond visual range warfare, with vessels being designed to reduce their radar cross section and armed with a plethora of electronic countermeasures and active protection systems. Morena is designed to counter these defensive measures by using a combination of guidance systems, and its high maneuverability (retained to the edge of its range) and speed (over mach 4). Morena can be used in several trajectories from both aircraft and surface launchers. It can be launched in a pure sea skimming attack, or fly high to maintain distance from enemy radars, only dropping down for the final approach.

The missile can be guided or cued on to a target by the launch platform or another platform using RF data link and on board GPS and INS systems. The data link allows for trajectory changes and retargeting mid-flight, and also sends data from the missile to the launch platform such as kinematic status or target acquisition. The datalink electronics are mounted in the starboard intake fairing.The antenna is mounted in the rear of the fairing.

In its unusual, asymmetric nose, the Morena carries two seekers. The IR seeker is based on the Viper 5 seeker, although it has been further miniaturised. The 320×240 pixel dual waveband electro-optical imaging seeker can detect and lock onto targets at an angle of up to 90 degrees off borsight. Combined with advanced computer software and hardware, the seeker is extremely resilient to countermeasures, and thanks to it’s AAM heritage, will detect and lock-on even to the smallest of surface vessels such as unmanned marine vehicles. Having been modified for anti-ship use, the IR seeker is activated late in the engagement stage, to make Morena resilient to radar jamming and spoofing attempts by the target’s countermeasures.

The active radar seeker is the main means of tracking and hitting targets. This Ka band AESA seeker offers highly accurate identification and tracking of all naval targets, and high immunity to electronic counter measures thanks to it’s low probability of intercept and lock-on-jam capability.

Using these various sensors and systems the missile can constantly switch from one mode to another. Typically it will be launched at a target identified by the platform carrying it, on a trajectory designed to bring it within range for its seekers to pick up the target and engage it independently. If it encounters jamming or interference against one seeker type it will switch to the other making it extremely difficult to “shake off”, especially when considering it’s long range, high speed and maintained maneuverability even at long ranges.

Morena carries a 200kg blast-fragmentation penetrator warhead, with an impact fuse. The warhead is optimized for penetrating and damaging large surface combatants, but is naturally also effective against smaller vessels such as unmanned threats. Because Morena is so precisely guided using two seeker types, even these small targets are likely to be directly hit and completely destroyed by the warhead.

Variants

NS-5A Morena is the aircraft launched version.
NS-5S is the ship or land launched version with a heavier and longer booster.

All purchases must be made through our main storefront.

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