Royal Navy completes trials of Thales’ Martlet missile
Above: A Martlet missile prepares to leave a launcher on a Wildcat helicopter.
Courtesy Royal Navy
During the final day and night trials the Martlet Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) blasted drones out of the sky and from the surface, first off the Welsh coast and later in the French Mediterranean, leaving behind ‘nothing but wreckage’.
Launched from Wildcat helicopters, Martlet can accelerate up to one and a half times the speed of sound and despite its compact size and cost-effectiveness, it is highly manoeuvrable and remarkably lethal, as proven during these demanding trials.
The missile, produced in Belfast by Thales, will 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. Hundreds of the same missile have recently been delivered to Ukraine five months ahead of schedule under the UK gifting programme.
Using the ranges at Aberporth, Martlet was tested in Cardigan Bay against specially designed targets, built to mirror small uncrewed boats.
After reducing those targets to splinters, the aviators flew to Hyères on the Côte d’Azur to participate in the French led NATO exercise Wildfire.
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