HAMMER / AASM

Conflict Usage

Mali War

Side: Malian government and international forcesRole: Rafale-carried standoff precision strike munitionprecision firesstrike

During the opening Operation Serval air campaign in January 2013, French Rafales flew Mali strike missions with AASM among their guided-weapon loads; open reporting supports AASM fielding in the Mali War but gives limited detail on individual bomb effects.

Operation Inherent Resolve

Side: U.S.-led coalition and partner forcesRole: Coalition Rafale precision strike munitionprecision firesstrike

French Rafales fired an SBAS 38 AASM during Operation Inherent Resolve on May 20, 2020, destroying an Islamic State bed-down location southeast of Mosul during coalition operations in Iraq and Syria.

2025 India-Pakistan Conflict

Side: IndiaRole: Rafale-launched precision strike munitionprecision firesstrike

Indian reporting said the Indian Air Force used Rafale fighters armed with HAMMER precision-guided munitions during Operation Sindoor strikes against sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on May 7, 2025; the specific bomb variants and individual targets remain source-limited in open reporting.

HAMMER / AASM Images

Related Weapon Systems

MunitionsBrahMosSupersonic anti-ship and land-attack cruise missileBrahMos is an India-Russia ramjet-powered supersonic cruise missile built for anti-ship and land-attack missions from air, ground, ship, and submarine launch platforms. In the 2025 India-Pakistan Conflict, India cited BrahMos as one of the indigenous weapons used for precision strikes during Operation Sindoor, with independent analysis highlighting the air-launched Su-30MKI integration as a key long-range strike capability.

MunitionsJoint Direct Attack Munition / JDAM-guided bombGPS/INS-guided bomb conversion kitThe Joint Direct Attack Munition is a Boeing-built tail-kit family that converts Mark 80-series and related free-fall bombs into GPS/INS-guided weapons. The family is documented across U.S., Israeli, and Saudi-led coalition air campaigns, including Afghanistan, Operation Inherent Resolve, Libya, Lebanon, Yemen, and later Iran-related strikes where direct sources identify JDAM kits or GBU-31/38/54 variants.

Aircraft & UAVsMk 82 fitted with a Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kit500-pound guided air-delivered bombA Mk 82 500-pound bomb fitted with a Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kit becomes a laser-guided precision bomb. In the Israel-Hamas War, open-source reporting documented Gaza remnants marked for use on Mk82, tying this configuration to Israeli airstrikes.

MunitionsSCALP-EGAir-launched cruise missileSCALP-EG is the French-service version of the Storm Shadow/SCALP air-launched cruise missile, an MBDA deep-strike weapon built for pre-planned attacks on high-value fixed targets such as hardened facilities and key infrastructure. French Rafale and Mirage aircraft fired nine SCALP missiles during the 2018 Syria Missile Strikes, Ukrainian Su-24 aircraft later used the weapon as a Western long-range precision-strike option in the Russia-Ukraine War, and Indian Rafales were reported to have used SCALP during Operation Sindoor in the 2025 India-Pakistan Conflict.

MunitionsAGM-154 JSOWAir-launched guided glide bombThe AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon is a U.S.-built, 1,000-pound-class air-launched guided glide bomb that gives carrier and tactical aircraft a GPS/INS-guided standoff option against fixed land targets. In the Yemen Civil War archive it is represented through documented U.S. Navy F/A-18 loadouts for strikes against Houthi forces during the 2025 Red Sea escalation.

MunitionsAl-Mandab-1 anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileAl-Mandab-1 is the Houthi designation for a Chinese C-801-family anti-ship cruise missile. Open-source reporting ties it to pre-war Yemeni stocks and shows Houthi forces fielding it during the Yemen Civil War, while the exact C-801 or C-802 variant remains uncertain.

Sources