Air-Sol Moyenne Portée

ASMP

Type	medium-range nuclear air-to-surface missile
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1986
Production history
Manufacturer	Aérospatiale
Specifications
Weight	860 kg
Length	5.38 m
Diameter	300 mm
Warhead	TN 81 nuclear warhead, 150 kt or 300 kt of TNT (variable yield)

Engine	liquid-fuel ramjet
Operational range	between 80 km and 300 km
Speed	Mach 2 to Mach 3
Launch platform	Dassault Mirage IV, Dassault Mirage 2000N, Dassault Rafale, and Dassault Super Étendard

The Air-Sol Moyenne Portée (ASMP; medium-range air to surface missile) is a French nuclear air-launched cruise missile. In French nuclear doctrine it is called a "pre-strategic" weapon, the last-resort "warning shot" prior to a full-scale employment of strategic nuclear weapons. The missile's construction was contracted to Aérospatiale's Tactical Missile Division, now part of MBDA.

ASMP entered service in 1986, replacing the earlier free-fall AN-22 bomb on France's Dassault Mirage IV aircraft and the AN-52 bomb on Dassault Super Étendard. About 84 weapons are stockpiled. Carrier aircraft are the Dassault Mirage 2000N, Rafale, and Super Étendard; the earlier Mirage IVA was retired in 1996, although Mirage IVP photo reconnaissance aircraft continued in French Air Force service until 2005.

ASMP is 5.38 m long and weighs 860 kg. It is a supersonic standoff missile powered by a liquid fuel ramjet. It flies at Mach 2 to Mach 3, with a range between 80 km and 300 km depending on flight profile. Warhead is a single TN 81 with two yield options, 150 and 300 kt of TNT.

ASMP-A

An advanced version known as Air-Sol Moyenne Portée-Amélioré ASMP-A has a range of about 600km^[1] at a speed of up to Mach 3 with the new TNA (tête nucléaire aéroportée) 300kt thermonuclear warhead. It entered service in October 2009 with the Mirage 2000NK3 of squadron EC 3/4 at Istres and on July 2010 with the Rafales of squadron EC 1/91 at Saint Dizier.^[2]

ASMP-A
Back of ASMP-A mock-up

Operators

France

References

↑ http://www.deagel.com/Land-Attack-Cruise-Missiles/ASMP-A_a001115002.aspx
↑ Robert Hewson, "French ASMP-A missile enters service". Jane's Defence Weekly. July 14, 2010, p. 14.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to ASMP.

French nuclear armament

Strategic missiles	missile M1 missile M2 missile M20 missile S2 missile S3 missile M4 missile M45 missile M5 missile M51

Pre-strategic missiles	Pluton Hadès ASMP

Nuclear warheads	AN-11 bomb AN-22 bomb AN-52 bomb MR 31 MR 41 MR 50 CTC AN 51 CTC AN 52 CTC TN 60 TN 61 TN 70 TN 71 TN 75 TN 76 TN 80 TN 81 TN 90 TNA TNO

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