Despite civilians being constantly flooded with news and details about military pieces of hardware, it’s extremely difficult for us to create an accurate mental image of what the weapons being discussed are capable of without seeing them in action. That’s why, for instance, footage from war zones, with impacting missiles and rockets obliterating targets, is so disturbing.
In some respects, so is seeing a missile almost five meters (16.4 feet) in length slamming vertically straight into a floating target during a live fire test. Yet exactly that’s what we’re seeing in a fresh video released by Israeli defense contractor Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI).
The missile seen in action here is called Rampage, and it is of the long-range air-to-ground variety. It was first shown by the company five years ago, and shortly after, in 2019, its first reported use took place in Syria. The weapon's main goal is to take out well-protected enemy “communication and command centers, air forces bases, maintenance centers, and infrastructure,” but in this footage, we see it can be used against much smaller and less impressive targets.
IAI released this week fresh and rare footage of the Rampage in action, and we see it as it comes down hard and fast, nose pointing down, and effectively obliterates the floating, orange, and unsuspecting target as it slams into it.
Significantly larger than other weapons fighter jets the likes of the F-16 usually carry, the missile can be released either as a standalone weapon or from an aircraft. It has a diameter of 306 mm and can be equipped with a number of warheads, including blast, fragmentation, or general-purpose.
Photo: IAI
Its undisclosed rocket engine pushes it through the air fast enough for it to be able to hit with a speed of up to 1,230 mph (almost 2,000 kph, meaning over the speed of sound), making it both deadly and literally impossible to stop.
The thing weighs 570 kg (1,256 pounds), and that makes the effects of hitting targets even more destructive. It’s a fire-and-forget kind of weapon, using both inertial and GPS guidance to get itself to where it needs to be, and it reaches and strikes that place with an accuracy of just ten meters (33 feet).
The Rampage is suitable for a variety of military aircraft and can be deployed on the American F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, or F/A-18 Hornet. Europeans can use it on the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Kfir, an Israeli-adapted version of the Dassault Mirage.
It’s unclear why IAI decided to bring the Rampage back into the spotlight with this fresh explosive promo video, but it probably has something to do with the war waging over in Europe. After all, this is a great time to be a defense contractor…
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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