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MICA (Missile d’Interception, de Combat and d’Autodéfense) is a missile intended for all air-to-air tasks ranging from interception to close air combat. MICA features:

  all-weather operational capability,
  multi-target, multi-launch, fire-and-forget performance,
  an high degree of manoeuvrability from launchto impact,
  A high degree of resistance to electronic and IR countermeasures.

MICA is available in two versions with a common body and interchangeable active radar or passive (IR imaging) seeker heads; it is highly flexible in operation using aircraft sensors (radar, electro-optic, helmet sight).

Both versions of the missile may be fired with or without target parameter updates through the Aircraft/Missile link (LAM). In the latter case, the missile is fully autonomous and hence a truly "fire-and-forget" weapon.

After an inertial guidance phase, theseeker locks on in flight to the target designated by the pilot and guides the missile to impact on this target.

To ensure the highest degree of discretion for the launch aircraft and to minimise opportunities for the use of adverse counter measures, the guidance system for both the active radar or the passive IR missile is only activated shortly before interception.

With the IR version, target acquisition is achieved with total discretion through to impact.

In its close combat role, the MICA has manoeuvrability capabilities that offer a high level of survivability to theaircraft in a severe counter measures environment.

The twin-band IR seeker acquisition mode and the fact that it can acquire its target independently and be launched with the aircraft radar in stand by (thereby avoiding EM pulses) make the weapon system highly discrete.

This duality between the IR and radar versions of MICA has enabled reductions in development costs and timescales when compared with a conventional solution requiring two different missiles to fulfil the interception and air combat roles.

The architecture of MICA enables missile in-service fleet support costs to be optimised and hence reduced.