The second amendment of the CAMM-ER (Common Anti-Air Modular Missile – Extended Range) Contract was signed at the OCCAR premises in Paris, France. The OCCAR-EA Director, Mr. Joachim Sucker, signed this important contractual change on behalf of Italy together with the Managing Director of MBDA Italy Mr. Giovanni Soccodato, for development and implementation of new technical specifications that will increase the operational capabilities of the two systems based on CAMM-ER for the Italian Army and Italian Air Force and their logistics support. For the Army variant GRIFO, a new development Fire Control unit will be considered with improvements of the command-and-control capabilities of the system. These new procurement activities will enhance the systems production which OCCAR awarded to MBDA on the 28 November 2022, for the Italian forces and increase with the 1st amendment signed in October 2023.
During his address, the OCCAR Director recognised the high level of energy undertaken by the stakeholders’ community, with special mention of the key contributions made by the Italian MoD, OCCAR-EA (Central Office and FSAF-PAAMS Programme Division) and MBDA. This is a further development for the FSAF-PAAMS Programme Division, marking yet another stride towards meeting the objectives set out by the Italian MoD. It is their cooperative dedication and open, supportive spirit that has boosted us toward the achievement of such an important milestone, promoting the interests of the FSAF-PAAMS participating states and solidifying OCCAR commitment to excellence in the air-defence domain.
The CAMM (Common Anti-Air Modular Missile) is a family of surface-to-air missiles developed by MBDA UK for the United Kingdom. CAMM is derived from, and shares some common features and components with, the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM), but with updated electronics, a soft vertical launch system, and an active radar homing seeker. The CAMM family is either currently in-use or has been ordered by ten nations. An extended-range version of the CAMM (CAMM-ER) is in the final stages of development by the UK and Italy and is capable of reaching targets over 45 kilometres (28 mi) away. A larger CAMM-MR (medium-range) missile with a range of over 100 kilometres (62 mi) is being developed by the UK and Poland and this will equip Polish Miecznik-class frigates and Wis?a air defence systems.
CAMM-ER has an active RF seeker that provides true all-weather performance with excellent clutter rejection capabilities. There is no need for dedicated complex and high-cost fire control/illumination radars. CAMM-ER weighs 160 kg (350 lb), is 4.2 metres (14 feet) in length, and is 190 mm (7.5 in) diameter. Alongside the addition of strakes and fins to the body as well as a slightly redesigned seeker radome, CAMM-ER utilises a new Avio rocket motor, enabling a range in excess of 40–45 kilometres (25–28 mi), although these ranges are reported as conservative. CAMM-ER offers land based forces a highly effective and easily deployable, medium range air defence system, as part of the Enhanced Modular Air Defence Solutions (EMADS), capable of operating as either a standalone unit or integrated within a battlespace network.
