Britain’s Lightweight Multirole Missile, known as Martlet, has completed a series of live trials off the Welsh coast and in the French Mediterranean and is being readied for operational deployment, the Ministry of Defence said.
The missile, launched from Wildcat helicopters, can accelerate to around one and a half times the speed of sound. Tests at the Aberporth ranges in Cardigan Bay and later during NATO exercise Wildfire off Hyères assessed Martlet against small uncrewed aerial and surface targets. Squadron crews destroyed two fast fixed wing drones, described in the trials as Albas, and two fast surface targets including a night engagement.
Martlet is manufactured in Belfast. Under a recently announced £350 million contract it will be supplied to the Indian Army, a deal the MoD says sustains about 700 jobs in Northern Ireland. The MoD also reported that several hundred Martlet rounds were delivered to Ukraine under a UK gifting programme, arriving five months ahead of schedule.
The trials involved Wildcat helicopters operating alongside French Panther and NH-90 helicopters and Rafale jets. Lieutenant Commander Rhydian Edwards, officer in command of the Operational Advantage Group Wildcat Maritime Force and resident experimental test pilot, described the engagements and the workload around the trials in two statements:
“I could not move for questions, compliments, and enquiries about the weapon system and its phenomenal ability to persecute fast moving uncrewed systems, with several commenting ‘It is the only effective weapon against the uncrewed threat.’”
“We pulled out all the stops to ensure the success of this autumn’s climactic trials and would hugely benefit front-line operations greatly increasing our understanding of the Wildcat’s weapon systems, allowing us to ensure that they can be employed to maximum lethality as demonstrated against air and surface targets alongside our UK and international partners on Exercise Wildfire.”
Luke Pollard MP, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, set the trials in an industrial and operational context:
“The Martlet missile represents another significant leap forward in our capabilities and by supporting hundreds of UK jobs, shows how defence is an engine for growth while making Britain safer. Its precision against both aerial and surface threats showcases the Royal Navy’s cutting-edge technology and tactical excellence.
“This achievement, delivered following rigorous trials from the Welsh coast to the Mediterranean, equips our sailors with supersonic weapons, helping them keep Britain secure at home and strong abroad.”
Commander Andrew Henderson, commanding officer of Wildcat Maritime Force at RNAS Yeovilton, said the trials were aimed at validating performance against realistic targets and at capturing data to refine tactics and systems:
“Wildcat trials, in conjunction with our partner organisations, are all about pushing the boundaries of its warfighting capability. Testing and validating our aircraft against realistic targets in challenging environments ensure that we capture vital data allowing us to fully understand our cutting-edge weapon systems, staying ahead of evolving threats, and applying lessons learned to keep the platform’s claws razor-sharp for operations.”
In addition to Martlet firings, the squadron tested the .50 calibre M3M machine gun against the same target sets to inform tactics for Wildcat surface warfare employment.
