British helicopters ‘packing bigger punch’ with new missile

The Royal Navy has achieved a successful guided firing of the Sea Venom missile from its Wildcat HMA Mk2 helicopters.

This trial, conducted at the Aberporth range in Wales, represents a significant enhancement in the Wildcat’s combat capabilities, allowing it to engage larger enemy vessels such as corvettes for the first time.

Prior to this, the helicopters could only target smaller ships with lightweight Martlet missiles and address underwater threats using Sting Ray torpedoes. The new Sea Venom missile is designed to overcome heavieships, boasting a 30kg warhead and a range of up to 20 km.

Lieutenant Commander Robin Kenchington, from the Royal Navy’s 744 Naval Air Squadron, highlighted the successful trial, stating, “It was fantastic to see a full end-to-end demonstration of the missile. Every aspect of the firing worked well – from the ease-of-use in-cockpit for crews, through the performance of the missile in flight, right up to the accuracy on the target.”

The missile’s advanced features include a variety of flight profiles, such as sea-skimming, and capabilities like inflight re-targeting and aim point adjustment, which enhance its effectiveness during combat.

The Sea Venom, developed in collaboration with industry partners including Leonardo UK, MBDA, and QinetiQ, replaces the older Sea Skua missile, retired in 2017. This new missile adds substantial firepower to the Royal Navy’s Wildcats, enabling them to operate at greater distances from enemy defences while maintaining precision.

The target vessel for the trial, a specially constructed barge with multiple heating elements to simulate realistic conditions, demonstrated the missile’s accuracy against more substantial targets,s ay the Royal Navy.

Pete Fawcett, Senior Responsible Owner of the Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon, praised the collaboration, saying, “This first guided firing is a significant step forward for the integration of Sea Venom onto the Royal Navy’s Wildcat helicopters. The success of the trial was the result of an outstanding team effort across Leonardo UK, MBDA, QinetiQ, and the Ministry of Defence.”

The integration of Sea Venom enhances the Royal Navy’s ability to provide protection for key assets like the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Commodore Nick Sargent, DE&S’ Head of Helicopters, described the firings as a “vital step forward,” adding that the new capability ensures the Royal Navy’s Wildcat helicopters remain at the forefront of modern warfare.