Al Tariq, a regional leader in aerial weaponry and manufacturer of precision-guided systems, has announced major upgrades to its Al Tariq precision guided missiles (PGM) during the Dubai Air Show 2019, which was held in Dubai, UAE, said a report.

With the enhancements, the Al Tariq PGM family of weapons is now updated to the new Block 2 definition, added the Wam report.

The Block 2 definition boasts a host of improvements including an enhanced navigation solution and are fully compliant with US military standard 1760 (MIL-STD-1760), French standard Digibus, and also boast new Height-Of-Burst-Sensor (HOBS) capabilities for Precision Guided Munitions, it said.

The upgrades boost the capacities of Al Tariq’s precision guided weapon technology with a new PowerPack that equips the weapons with a pre-flight power source, and greater mission flexibility with cockpit fuse programmability.

Theunis Botha, general manager of Al Tariq, said: “The upgrades to the Al Tariq weapons system indicate our sustained commitment to adapting and innovating at a time when the need to build readiness and resilience cannot be overstated.”

“We are continuously strengthening our foundations and building in-house capabilities to deliver advanced products and solutions, through which we aim to empower defence and security forces, protect lives, and safeguard national interests,” Botha added.

Al Tariq manufactures the combat-tested and proven Al Tariq range – a flexible family of bomb kit systems used on the MK81 and MK82 aerial weapons. Converting unguided aerial weapons into high-precision, longer-range focused munitions using a range of guidance and propulsion technologies, the system’s modular nature and the flexibility of its programming enable it to adapt to new priorities as missions evolve.

By building capabilities in easy-to-handle and deploy packages, Al Tariq’s advanced solutions achieve precision targeting through a choice of systems, including GNSS/INS (Global Navigation Satellite System/Inertial Navigation System), imaging infrared with Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) capabilities, and Semi-Active Laser (SAL) seekers against high-priority fixed, off-axis, moving and re-locatable targets.

Al Tariq is part of the Weapons and Missiles cluster within Edge, an advanced technology group for defence and beyond, that was inaugurated in November 2019, added the report.