A long-delayed review note that will formally set out a new timeline for the SPEAR 3 missile programme is close to being submitted for approval, Minister of State Luke Pollard told parliament on 21 April, confirming that an extended consultation phase has now been finalised.
The note was originally expected to be submitted by the end of 2025, meaning it has already overrun by several months, and until it receives approval the re-baselining conducted throughout 2025 cannot be formally locked in, leaving the programme’s timelines in the same low-confidence state they have been in since May last year.
Pollard also said that fielding of the capability is targeted within the joint programme from financial year 2028-29, though that figure needs some context, given that Q4 2028 was actually the target before the re-baselining process began, a date that was subsequently pushed to the early 2030s when the MoD acknowledged in May 2025 that all timelines were draft and of low confidence pending the review. Whether 2028-29 represents a genuinely improved outcome from the re-baselining or simply a restatement of the pre-slip figure is not yet clear and will only become apparent once the review note is formally approved.
SPEAR 3 has been in development for years and has slipped repeatedly, originally planned for service entry in 2025 before technical challenges linked to the F-35’s Block 4 software upgrade pushed the timeline back, and until the weapon eventually arrives the UK’s F-35B fleet remains limited to Paveway IV guided bombs in the air-to-ground role.
What is SPEAR 3?
SPEAR 3, or Selective Precision Effects At Range, is a miniature cruise missile developed by MBDA and intended to be the F-35B’s principal long-range air-to-ground strike weapon, designed to be carried internally within the aircraft’s weapons bays to preserve its stealth characteristics, with a full internal load of up to eight missiles across both bays alongside additional underwing carriage options.
The missile is powered by a turbojet engine giving it a range of over 100 kilometres, and uses a combination of inertial navigation, GPS and a datalink to engage targets with precision in all weather conditions, including moving and manoeuvring targets, making it particularly suited to operations against integrated air defence systems where the launch aircraft needs to remain at a safe distance from threats.
Spear 3 was test fired from a Typhoon. It should get a basic integration for Typhoon operations. That way the UK could sell it to other Typhoon operators. Given the limited stock of Storm Shadow, an extra stand off weapon for Typhoon would be handy.
The issue is that SPEAR 3 is a bit short ranged for typhoon and if your not attacking a radar or something heavily defended where you would use storm shadow you would use Brimestone as it’s cheaper.
However SPEAR EW would add Major capability to Typhoon that it doesn’t currently have.
Let’s get a tighle on or is the Prime Minister going to sit on this as well.
This is the most important weapon the UK currently needs. Every effort should be made to get it back on time line and we should desperately consider a buy of Storm Breaker as an interim capability.
Even buying just a few dozen Storm breakers would make a massive difference to our SEAD capability and even when SPEAR becomes available the two weapons are largely complementary.
set for imminent submission, umm that Labour imminient? so any time really, a few more meetings, chats, statements before it is released? or will it be like in days?.