Penguins Migrating to Brazil
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Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace recently announced a contract with the Brazilian navy for an unspecified number of Penguin Mk 2 MOD 7 anti-ship missiles and associated equipment, valued at about NOK 140 million/ $20 million. The missiles will be deployed on the Brazilian Navy’s maritime helicopters. Their “AH-11A” Super Lynx models are certified for the missile, but the official Dec 22/08 notice [PDF, Portuguese] refers to the Marinha do Brazil’s new S-70B Seahawks as the designated platform.
The Penguin Mark 2 Mod 7 is a relatively small anti-ship missile with a very distinctive profile. Its boost-sustain solid fuel rocket motor gives the 120 kg/ 260 pound sub-sonic missile a maximum range of 34 km/ 21 miles, using inertial navigation and a passive infrared seeker for no-warning guidance. It can take an oblique path to the target, turning up to 180 degrees around a waypoint; and also can perform random weaves before striking the target at the waterline, or popping up and diving into it. The Penguin Mark 2 Mod 7 is operational on helicopters of the Norwegian, US (AGM-119B), Australian, Greek, Turkish, and South Korean navies.
