AS.34 cormorant
| AS.34 Kormoran / AS.34 Kormoran-2 | |
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| General Information | |
| Type | Anti-ship missile |
| Manufacturer | EADS Lenkflugkörpersysteme GmbH |
| development | Aérospatiale / MBB |
| Commissioning | 1977/1991 |
| Technical specifications | |
| length | 4400 mm |
| diameter | 344 mm |
| Combat weight | 600 kg / 630 kg |
| span | 1000 mm |
| Drive First stage Second stage |
Solid rocket motor 2 solid fuel boosters (1 s burn time) Solid rocket motor (100 s burn time) |
| speed | Mach 0.9 |
| Range | 30 km |
| Furnishing | |
| Target location | INS, radar |
| Warhead | 160 kg / 235 kg |
| Weapon platforms | F-104 Starfighter , Panavia Tornado |
| Lists on the subject | |
The AS.34 Kormoran is an airborne anti-ship missile that was originally developed by MBB (now EADS) for naval aviation in the German Navy .
Originally the Bundeswehr wanted to procure the American AGM-12 Bullpup or the French AS.30 as an anti-ship missile, but neither missile could meet the demands placed on them. In 1964, MBB was commissioned to develop the Kormoran. The French AS.33 was taken as the basis and developed into the AS.34 together with Aérospatiale . The AS.34 only got the name Kormoran after 1967. Since Aerospatiale was developing the Exocet at the same time (1967) , both rockets are largely identical. The Kormoran has two solid fuel boosters with a burn time of one second and a solid rocket motor with a burn time of 100 s. Targets are recorded passively or by active radar. It is also equipped with a radar altimeter, which enables it to fly at a minimum altitude of 3 m above the water. The Kormoran is a missile that operates on the fire-and-forget principle. The first flight tests took place in 1969 with the F-104G and series production began in 1973. A total of 350 AS.34 Kormoran 1 were delivered.
From 1983 the development of the Kormoran-2, an improved version of the Kormoran, began. The analog electronics have been replaced by digital ones, which makes them much more resistant to electronic countermeasures . The radar seeker head was also replaced, as well as the boosters and the main drive. This made the rocket heavier at 630 kilograms, but because the new electronics took up less space, a larger 235 kg warhead could be installed.
The special feature of the warhead is that 2 × 9 projectile-forming charges (EFP) are incorporated into its jacket , which can penetrate up to 12 bulkheads.
A special data interface (MCS 3) and a special launcher had to be used for use from the Panavia Tornado multi-purpose combat aircraft. From 1991 the first of 140 AS.34 Kormoran 2 was put into service.
