RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Manufactured by Avibras Aeroespacial, the weapon has high destructive power – it carries a 200-kilogram warhead.
It is a variation of the AV-MTC ground-to-air cruise missile, from the Brazilian Army’s strategic program known as the ASTROS 2020 Airborne Saturation Artillery Rocket System.
According to Jane’s Defence Weekly, the development of the surface AV-MTC should be completed in December 2020, after eight years of studies and testing. A production lot of the missile is scheduled to be purchased in 2021, said General Júlio Dias Barreto, project manager of Astros 2020.
The magazine estimates that the missile weighs approximately 1,100 kg, has a diameter of 450 mm, a length of 5.43 m, a cruising speed of 1,044 km/h, a range of over 300 km and a probable circular target error of only 30 meters.
The air launchable missile, whose project was named MICLA-BR, should have the same features, with the two-stage solid rocket engine, a subsonic engine and GPS guidance.
According to the website Technology and Defense, the new weapon will equip the new Gripen fighters of the Brazilian Air Force.
Source: Gazeta do Povo