Missile Brimstone

The Brimstone was developed to meet a requirement for a guided anti-armour weapon to replace the BL.755 cluster bomb. Initial requirements specified a self-guided weapon utilizing a millimetre-wave radar seeker for fire-and-forget capability against massed armor. The design was based on an existing airframe modified with an active radar homing seeker. Ground testing began in 1999, followed by air-launched trials in 2000. The system entered service in 2005.

The missile is an air-to-surface and surface-to-surface system designed for use against moving and stationary targets. It employs a 94-GHz millimetric-wave active radar homing seeker for autonomous targeting. Later variants incorporated semi-active laser guidance to allow for man-in-the-loop control in cluttered environments or to meet specific rules of engagement. The weapon utilizes a tandem shaped-charge warhead, featuring a smaller precursor charge to defeat reactive armour followed by a main charge to penetrate base armour. The system is programmable, allowing it to search for targets within defined areas or self-destruct if no valid target is identified. Multiple missiles can be launched in salvos, using algorithms to ensure targets are struck in a staggered sequence. Later iterations, such as the Brimstone 2 and 3, introduced insensitive munition-compliant rocket motors and warheads, improved seekers, and enhanced autopilots. The Brimstone 3 variant includes an improved battery for increased engagement duration and a multi-effect warhead.

The missile is widely deployed by the Royal Air Force and has been exported to Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine. It is also slated for service with Belgium, Qatar, Poland, and Spain. Primary launch platforms include the Tornado GR4 and Eurofighter Typhoon, with integration planned for the MQ-9B Protector and trials conducted on the AH-64E Apache. In response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the system was adapted for surface launch using the Wolfram vehicle and other improvised ground platforms. Combat deployment began in 2008 during Operation Telic in Iraq. It was subsequently used in Afghanistan during Operation Herrick and during the 2011 military intervention in Libya. In Libya, the missile was employed against both armored vehicles and fast inshore attack craft. Since 2014, the system has been utilized in operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. In the Russo-Ukrainian War, surface-launched variants have been used against ground forces and air defense sites, including a 2023 strike on an S-400 missile position in Crimea.