Britain’s latest supersonic missile, the Martlet, is officially ready for front line service after completing an explosive autumn of trials and exercises that demonstrated its precision, power, and reliability in real combat conditions.
Developed as the Lightweight Multirole Missile and known in the Royal Navy as Martlet, the weapon successfully destroyed both air and surface targets during final day and night trials off the Welsh coast and in the French Mediterranean, leaving behind, as one witness described, “nothing but wreckage.”
Launched from Wildcat helicopters, Martlet can reach speeds of up to one and a half times the speed of sound. Despite its compact size and cost effectiveness, the missile is highly manoeuvrable and remarkably lethal, qualities proven in demanding operational trials.
Built in Belfast, the missile will soon be supplied to the Indian Army under a recently announced £350 million deal, providing a significant boost to the UK defence industry and sustaining 700 jobs in Northern Ireland. The same missile is already making a difference abroad, with hundreds delivered to Ukraine five months ahead of schedule under the UK’s gifting programme.
Trials at the Aberporth range in Cardigan Bay tested Martlet against small, uncrewed boat targets designed to mirror modern maritime threats. After reducing those to splinters, Wildcat crews flew to Hyères on the Côte d’Azur for the French led NATO exercise Wildfire. There, Wildcats joined French Panther and NH 90 helicopters and Rafale jets to counter repeated waves of uncrewed craft attacking a French task force.
Lieutenant Commander Rhydian Edwards, Officer in Command of the Operational Advantage Group Wildcat Maritime Force and resident Experimental Test Pilot, described the challenge of hitting the agile aerial drones: “like trying to kill a fly with a laser guided dart.” Under his direction, the Wildcats guided their Martlets onto four targets, two airborne and two on the water, one at night, all of which were destroyed with pinpoint accuracy.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, praised the achievement, saying, “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.”
Exercise Wildfire concluded with a demonstration for NATO allies, highlighting the growing challenge posed by drones operating above, on, and beneath the sea. Following the display, Lieutenant Commander Edwards said, “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.’”
He added that his team’s work “greatly increased 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.”
Martlet joins the heavier Sea Venom missile in the Wildcat’s arsenal, the latter designed to take out patrol ships and corvette sized vessels and recently declared at initial operating capability. Commander Andrew Henderson, Commanding Officer of the Wildcat Maritime Force at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset, explained, “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 ensures 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.”
Alongside missile firings, the squadron also tested the .50 calibre M3M machine gun against the same targets to refine tactics for the Wildcat’s surface warfare role.
From the Welsh coast to the Mediterranean, the trials confirmed that Britain’s Martlet is not only a precision strike weapon but a symbol of British engineering excellence, industrial strength, and national resolve to stay at the forefront of defence innovation.
Main Image: MOD Crown Copyright News / Editorial Licence.
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