DSA 2018: China’s Norinco reveals Fire Dragon 280A tactical missile

A photograph of a Norinco brochure showing the Fire Dragon 280A 750 mm tactical missile. Source: IHS Markit/Gabriel Dominguez

Gabriel Dominguez, Kuala Lumpur – IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly 17 April 2018

The China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) has revealed the development of the Fire Dragon 280A Tactical Missile for use by its AR3 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS).

This 750 mm-diameter missile is not only larger than the previous largest munition available to the AR3 – the 370 mm Fire Dragon 280 guided rocket – but also has a 10 km-longer range (290 km), according to the company.

“The 7.38 m-long missile, which completed development trials in 2017, is fitted with a 480 kg high-explosive blast/fragmentation warhead that uses pre-formed fragments,” a company spokesperson told Jane’s at the 16-19 Defence Services Asia 2018 (DSA 2018) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur.

Guidance is provided by INS aided by a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), GPS, and the BeiDou systems, thus giving the missile a stated circular error probable (CEP) of no less than 30 m at its maximum range.

The official told Jane’s that the AR3’s previous eight (two pairs of four) launch tubes have been replaced with two launch containers, each of which holds one Fire Dragon 280A.

The company also revealed that the modifications made to the MLRS mean that the TL-7B land-based version of the TL-7 anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM), which was first unveiled at the 2016 Singapore Airshow, can also be mounted on and fired from the AR3.

The official described the 6 m-long ASCM as being fitted with a 320 kg semi-armour-piercing warhead “capable of destroying a medium-sized or large enemy warship”.

Source: Jane’s 360 “DSA 2018: China’s Norinco reveals Fire Dragon 280A tactical missile”

Note: This is Jane’s 360’s report I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean that I agree or disagree with the report’ views.

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