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AGA: Arbeitsgruppe Physik und Abrüstung
AGA 1: Missiles and Hypersonic Weapons
AGA 1.3: Talk
Wednesday, March 16, 2022, 15:30–16:00, AGA-H19
Small and Very Small Missiles - Military-Technology Assessment and Preventive Arms Control — •Jürgen Altmann and Dieter Suter — Exp. Physik III, TU Dortmund University
After our purview of small and very small aircraft (https://url.tu-dortmund.de/pacsam-db) we have created a database of small (diameter < 69 mm) and very small (<= 40 mm) missiles. It contains 50 types, many are decades old; 11 types were developed after 2000. Many have ranges below 1 km, but up to several kilometres occur, in particular with air launch. Guidance has increased over the decades, now even possible for very small missiles. Warhead masses are between 0.4 and 3 kg; high explosive and fragments are used with all sizes, while anti-armour shaped charges occur above 1 kg. New types could be used against drones or for defence against incoming bigger missiles. Weapon effects are limited, but smaller missiles could be produced in high numbers, and attacks against soft spots or in swarms / salvoes could be militarily relevant. Vertical and horizontal proliferation could endanger military stability and international security; considerations about preventive arms control are needed.