Starburst (missile)

Starburst

Sample of Starburst
Type Manportable surface-to-air missile
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In service 1989 to present[1]
Used by See Operators
Wars Gulf War
Production history
Designer Thales Air Defence Limited
Manufacturer Thales Air Defence Limited
Produced 1986 to 2001[1]
Number built 13,389[1]
Variants See Variants
Specifications
Crew 1
Effective firing range 0.3 to 7 km
Warhead High Explosive fragmentation
Warhead weight 2.74 kg
Engine Solid rocket motor
Guidance
system
 laser guidance beam riding

Starburst is a British man-portable surface-to-air missile produced by Shorts Missile Systems of Belfast (since 2002 known as Thales Air Defence Limited). It was used by the British Army (as Javelin S15), Malaysian Army, and in the Canadian Army as the Javelin. It can be fired from the shoulder or from a launcher known as Starburst LML – Lightweight Multiple Launcher.

It has been replaced in British service by the Starstreak missile.

Development

The missile was a development of Javelin missile, retaining the Javelin missile body but replacing the radio command system with a laser transmission system. This is much more difficult to jam than the radio based system. It entered service in 1990 and replaced the Javelin by 1993. In 1992 the proximity fuze was improved. Starburst was first used in combat in the 1991 Gulf War.

Variants

Operators

Map with Starburst operators in blue
A Malaysian Starburst MANPADS held by a soldier during an exhibition.

Current operators

 Canada
Canadian Army
 Kuwait
Kuwait Air Force
 Malaysia
Malaysian Army
 United Kingdom
British Army
 Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian Army
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Starburst.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Forecast International Starburst
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