The AASM Hammer (Armement Air-Sol Modulaire/Smart Bomb Unit/Highly Agile And Maneuvera-ble Munition-Extended Range), is a French program for a modular guided bomb similar to the US JDAM. The program started in 1995, based on a French air force and French navy requirement for a replacement for the AS.30L laser guided missile and laser guided bombs. In the summer of 1997, the French government released a request for information to domestic and foreign firms to examine its options. Two industrial groups competed for the award, Aerospa-tiale-Matra and SAGEM. In the autumn of 2000, the French air force selected the SAGEM Karin for its requirement. The initial version of the family is the SBU-38 AASM Hammer which uses a GPS/INS guidance package. The initial contract was for €425 million for 744 kits with an option for an additional 2,250. Under the recent 2003-2008 budget plan, the French air force was supposedto receive 1,100 bombs by 2008; this schedule slipped with 196 delivered through 2008, 352 in 2009, 252 in 2010 and 176 in 2011.
展开▼