Starburst (missile)

Starburst
Sample of Starburst
Type	Manportable surface-to-air missile
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1989 to present[1]
Used by	See Operators
Wars	Gulf War
Production history
Designer	Thales Air Defence Limited
Manufacturer	Thales Air Defence Limited
Produced	1986 to 2001[1]
Number built	13,389[1]
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Crew	1
Effective firing range	0.3 to 7 km
Warhead	High Explosive fragmentation
Warhead weight	2.74 kg
Engine	Solid rocket motor
Guidance system	laser guidance beam riding

Starburst is a British man-portable surface-to-air missile produced by Shorts Missile Systems of Belfast (since 2002 known as Thales Air Defence Limited). It was used by the British Army (as Javelin S15), Malaysian Army, and in the Canadian Army as the Javelin until 2005. It can be fired from the shoulder or from a launcher known as Starburst LML – Lightweight Multiple Launcher.

It has been replaced in British service by the Starstreak missile.

Development

The missile was a development of Javelin missile, retaining the Javelin missile body but replacing the radio command system with a laser transmission system. This is much more difficult to jam than the radio based system. It entered service in 1990 and replaced the Javelin by 1993. In 1992 the proximity fuze was improved. Starburst was first used in combat in the 1991 Gulf War.

Variants

• Starburst LML (Lightweight multiple launcher)
• Starburst VML (Vehicle multiple launcher)
• Starburst NML (Naval multiple launcher)
• Starburst starlite thermal imager
• Starburst SR2000

Operators

Map with Starburst operators in blue

A Malaysian Starburst MANPADS held by a soldier during an exhibition.

Current operators

 Kuwait

Kuwait Air Force

 Malaysia

Malaysian Army

 United Kingdom

British Army

 Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian Army

References

1. Forecast International Starburst

• Jane's Land-Based Air Defence 2005–2006, ISBN 0-7106-2697-5
• "Javelin Surface to Air Missile UK".