MBDA has signed a contract with IAR Brasov to support the integration of the Marte ER missile onto a maritime helicopter platform for the Romanian Naval Forces, according to a press release.
The missile will be installed on the Airbus H215M platform, providing the Romanian Navy with advanced anti-surface warfare capabilities.
MBDA asserts that the Marte ER’s excellent performance will enable the Romanian Navy to protect the nation’s sovereign interests more efficiently.
This contract is a significant step in the cooperation between MBDA and the Romanian Armed Forces. “As the European leader in complex weapon systems, MBDA is the best suited to tackle the challenges faced in Europe by reinforcing European decisive defence capabilities. We are proud to contribute to the Romanian Armed Forces’ strategic autonomy and we will continue to act as a trusted partner by offering a comprehensive portfolio adapted to their current and future needs,” said Arnaud Rousset, Vice-President Europe at MBDA.
The integration project will involve collaboration with IAR Brasov, Airbus, and other partners to achieve full integration of the Marte ER at the mission system level.
The Marte ER missile, representing the latest generation of its family, is designed to operate in all weather conditions and can deliver highly effective lethal effects at ranges over 100 km. It offers a flexible mission profile with features such as automatic and manual waypoints, salvo firing, and the capability to attack land coordinates, along with specific methods to counter ships’ hard and soft-kill defences.
We should really have this missile for the typhoon fleet, not having an airlaunched anti ship missile is a bit of a hole for an islands airforce.
And for Merlin, P-8.
Merlin is too busy with ASW. They’re already working on Sea venom for Wildcat they’re not gonna go beyond that.
Italians have no problem having Marte versions in their helicopters since 1977. Their large ones SH-3, Merlin, NH90 were and are multi mission.
That’s great but they’re still not going to bother with it. We don’t have enough Merlins as is. Their roles are very distinctly divided between Merlins for ASW/AEW and Wildcats for prosecuting enemy’s and protection of the ship or CSG.
Plus they’re getting sea venom so why would they get this.
There’s also the JSM and LSRAM options for P-8. Probably on F35 too, not sure.
I don’t think they’re going to bother getting another interim missile system when Fcasw is relatively close to when it’s supposed to he introduced.
Fcasw is not going to be operational in typhoon squadrons until 2030 at best…we really need an air launched anti ship missile now. Marte ER is the only one we could move to an operational status in the short term.
Thats why i said interrim, NSM is an interrim till Fcasw, and its the bare minimum in no. of launchers and missiles too. Theyre not going to pick up another system
NSM was sold as an interim to the politicians to avoid them cancelling FC/ASW, but it’s no more an interim for us than it is for the US or the Aussies.
I’ll believe it when I see it. I seriously doubt they’ll order more sets for new ships. On a different note how is it taking so long to get them fitted.
Both the striker armoured vehicle and the E7 all carry interim solution designations in the Pentagon.
Interim can be a long time
Sadly what makes sense doesn’t go down with HMG at times 👍
What project are you scrapping to get it now instead of waiting till Fcasw comes online?
It does not have to be a zero sum game…this is a cheap off the self missile that is already had integration work done with typhoon. It’s not a billion pound contract…your looking at maybe half a million per missile..so 50 odd would be in the 25million range that’s pocket change.
Bet the MOD wish they had that kind of money lying around.
And you have to consider the fact that trying to fill the gap with a weapon like this then presents the risk of scuppered Fcasw entirely for cost savings as it’ll be seen as they’ve already got what they need.
Also it’s still not as simple as slapping it on the wings of our typhoons. Not all the Typhoons especially the older ones are in sync with other nations software and weapons integration.
We are due to have FC/ASW on typhoon in 2027 ish. FC/ASW should be a massive improvement over anything available today.
Hi Jim have you got a link to that, the last piece I read was 2030 for integration and deployment on typhoon.
You could be right, that being said stormshadow deployed several years early on Tornado in the 2003 gulf war.
Spear 3 will provide a very capable anti ship capability.
Yes, we have something already to fulfill an interim fit. It should be put into service ASAP.
It may not be a heavy hitter, but they network together and you could carry and launch a good number from a flight of Tiffies.
Ditto the proposed the EW version
AA
Not ready until 2028 unfortunately…we need something now..as we need to be showing deterrent to our enemies now…no point showing up after war has started.
Indeed it will, but and it’s the same with a lot of things at present, in service date is 2028…when we are looking at the next 4 years being difficulty. At present a lot of our programs could end up being ready after a shooting war has occurred….snipping budgets for in year savings have put a lot of vital progress back to an extent they become to late to support deterrent actives at the peak of risk.
Gotta be honest. What shooting war is going to happen in the next 4 years, Russia would be off its rocker to get into a fight with Nato. And in a war over Taiwan European nations for one would not be obligated to get involved or be all that useful.
Collin will love hearing you say that! True, it wouldn’t hurt would it? Unless the RAF is getting the JSM which I think would have double the range? I think the later is being trialled on the F35s. We need an update on Venom too.
JSM would be lovely, but I don’t think it’s integrated on typhoon. What makes Marte so appealing is all the integration work has already been done..it’s on off the shelf cheap but effective air launched ASM that could be with squadrons very quickly..not in years.
Yes, a good intermediate AShM and four can be loaded on a Typhoon. Would be handy to have pre FC/ASW. Is the air launched version coming before the vessel launched then? Has anything been selected for the RAF P-8s besides torpedos? It’ll be interesting to see what Norway and Germany adopt on their F35/P-8s fleets.
Indeed it’s stupidity of high order. I’d go for the NSM though. Facing down WW3 still practicing serious capability gaps literally is Russian roulette.
Hi Frank the only issue with NSM vs Marte ER is that MBDA have for the last 5 years spent a load of its own cash sorting out the weapons integration of Marte ER on the typhoon..so that’s integration money the MOD would not need to spend as well as time, so we would probably need a good few years and wad of cash for integration work to get NSM onto typhoon..where as with Marte it’s pretty much at the point the MOD can just buy it.
Genealogically this is one of older missile families’ in the world, with origins on command guided Sea Killer that entered service in late 1960. Marte the helicopter version entered service in 1977.
Old, but not obsolete, much the same might be said of the B-52. Still selling.
Well i doubt any piece remains from the oldest versions – the first version was rocket now a turbofan and guidance was beam ridding command control and now it is an active radar..
Just saying that there is a path and appearance is similar.
In other words, he’s right, it’s the same as the B52, which I also doubt shares a single component with the first versions.
B-52s don’t need to be cutting edge it’s a shuttle us for the missiles that do the real work ie missiles like Marte that do need to be extremely capable and modern. Not saying it isn’t just that comparing B-52 to it is like comparing Apples to Oranges.
The point wasn’t about the role, I was more referring to how much both things have been upgraded over their lives to the extent that they are internally unrecognisable from their original state.
I would challenge any 1950s bomber pilot, if we summoned one to the present somehow, to fly a modern B52 in combat.
I did not say it was obsolete, i have even made reference to the old command guidance.