The DGA carries out the first firing of the Mica NG missile from a Rafale in supersonic flight condition

• Conducted under the leadership of the DGA, with the assistance of MBDA, Dassault Aviation and the Air and Space Force, this launch constitutes a major milestone towards the qualification of the missile and its integration into the Rafale. It made it possible to evaluate the performance of the infrared seeker under very demanding conditions.
• This is the second development shot of the Mica NG from a Rafale.
• Other tests will be carried out with a view to qualifying the Mica NG and the first deliveries in order to renew the interception, close combat and self-protection capacity of the Rafale of the Air and Space Force and the French Navy.
• Thanks to its onboard technologies, this new generation weapon system will enable forces to face future threats and maintain operational superiority in contested airspaces. The production chain is currently being set up and will meet French and export needs in a context of preparing the industry for a high-intensity conflict.

The success of this development firing of the Mica NG made it possible to validate the complete implementation chain of the missile in its infrared version and its associated performances, all in a very demanding employment context.
The seeker is a system used by the missile to automatically correct its trajectory based on the information it receives. It uses infrared radiation emitted by the target. In a supersonic flight configuration of the Rafale, that is to say at a speed greater than that of sound (Mach 1), the Mica NG and its infrared seeker are subject to a higher surrounding temperature.
The higher this temperature, the lower the contrast between the target of interest and the background of the image and the more the seeker will struggle to detect it. This test made it possible to validate the capabilities of the Mica NG’s infrared seeker in these conditions. HAS
This success is the result of industrial and state work led by the DGA, project manager of the program.
Five DGA test and expertise centers were mobilized in the preparation and execution of the shot:

• DGA Missile Tests and DGA Flight Tests ensured the overall conduct of the firing, including the implementation of the target as well as the safety of people and property in the area throughout the duration of the flight;
• DGA Engineering and Projects played a key role in the coordination and technical expertise prior to the firing in order to guarantee the safety and performance of the system;
• DGA Information Control and DGA Aerospace Techniques contributed to the operational security of the weapon system, particularly in terms of operational safety (system and software) and resistance to mechanical, climatic and electromagnetic environments.

This firing notably required a substantial preparation phase including the design and execution of several flight test campaigns carried out with the Fokker 100 test bench aircraft from DGA Flight Tests, with strong involvement from other test centers.
New firings will take place in order to validate the full capabilities of the Mica NG, in its different versions and firing configurations, at different altitudes and flight speeds of the aircraft.

____________________________________________________________________