A Wildcat helicopter of 815 Naval Air Squadron has successfully detected, tracked, and engaged a Banshee drone using a Martlet missile during recent trials.
815 NAS highlighted the achievement in a tweet, marking a major step forward in the Wildcat helicopter’s capabilities.
Wildcat cleared hot!
A crew from 815 NAS have independently detected, tracked and engaged a Banshee drone with a Martlet missile during trials, a milestone for Wildcat maritime strike 💥 #StrikeDeep #FlyNavy #FleetAirArm #Wildcat #RoyalNavy pic.twitter.com/lTdw0HDvWY
— 815 Naval Air Squadron (@815NAS) October 11, 2024
This demonstration of the Wildcat’s ability to operate independently in detecting and neutralising aerial threats underlines its role as a key asset in the Royal Navy’s arsenal.
The Martlet, also known as the Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM), is a versatile, laser-guided missile developed by Thales Air Defence for the United Kingdom. Designed for air-to-surface, air-to-air, surface-to-air, and surface-to-surface roles, the missile is named after a mythical bird from English heraldry that never roosts.
The Martlet was developed to meet the UK’s need for a “Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon (Light),” intended to equip the Royal Navy’s AW159 Wildcat helicopters and complement the heavier Sea Venom missile, particularly for targeting smaller and more manoeuvrable naval craft.
Originally derived from the Starburst surface-to-air missile, the Martlet has evolved to serve in multiple roles and on various platforms, such as the Schiebel Camcopter S-100 and BAE Fury. A special glide variant of the missile, known as the FreeFall LMM (FFLMM) or Fury, is being developed for use with drones and is planned to equip the British Army’s GMLRS-ER and Precision Strike Missile (PrSM). The missile is highly adaptable, featuring multiple guidance systems and a solid two-stage propellant, with a range of up to 8 km and speeds exceeding Mach 1.5.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) initially placed an order for 1,000 Martlet missiles in 2013, though delays meant that the missile only achieved its initial operating capability in 2021. The Royal Navy is projected to reach full operating capability with the Martlet by 2025, and it has already seen use in conflicts such as the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Looks good. A good addition to the RN’s arsenal. However I would have liked to see a fire and forget weapon. The platform has to continuously laze the target to impact. This means it cannot evade while engaging. Also it can only shoot one target at a time. These limitations could endanger the platform. I would have liked to see an EO guided version that you can just shoot and scoot. I am surprised that this was not done.
The limitations are also a great strength, the cost of this missile is what makes it truly fantastic. In the dawn age of ‘cheap’ (under 100k denoting cheap here) one way munitions and strike drones having a missile in inventory that can match or even be under the value of said threats will be extremely useful. If a Wild Cat is defending a vessel of group of vessels against a wave of surface or areal drones the chances are they will be way out of the range of any SAM or ECM equipment that may pose a threat to them,… Read more »