The Royal Navy has successfully completed trials of its new anti-drone missile system, with the weapons now operational on Wildcat helicopters.
The missiles, known as the Martlet, have completed extensive testing in Welsh waters and during Mediterranean exercises and are now ready for deployment against unmanned aerial threats.
The successful trials for the Navy mark a significant enhancement to Britain’s defensive capabilities against drone warfare, which has become increasingly more common in modern warfare.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict is widely considered the first “fully fledged drone war,” and both Russia and Ukraine have rapidly developed tactics and technology in a continuous cycle of innovation.
Drone technology is now responsible for approximately 80 per cent of combat injuries in Ukraine.
British forces have already deployed the missile system extensively, having already seen service with ground forces.
The weapons demonstrated their effectiveness against various target types, leading to their approval for frontline action.
The supersonic Martlet weighs 13 kilograms and achieves speeds 1.5 times the speed of sound, making the Wildcat helicopters “more lethal”.
The Royal Navy has successfully completed trials of its new anti-drone missile system
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ROYAL NAVY
Hundreds have been sent to Ukraine as military aid to defend against the illegal invasion from Russia, with India also set to receive units through a defence agreement worth £350million.
The missiles, manufactured in Belfast, are mounted in pods beneath the Wildcat’s wings.
Helicopter crews guide the weapons to their targets using onboard systems.
Testing occurred at the Aberporth facility in Cardigan Bay, where the missiles engaged purpose-built targets simulating small autonomous vessels.
The successful trials for the Navy mark a significant enhancement to Britain’s defensive capabilities against drone warfare
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ROYAL NAVY
The weapons left “nothing but wreckage,” according to naval officials.
Following Welsh trials, crews participated in Wildfire, a French-hosted Nato exercise near Hyères on the Mediterranean coast.
During these operations, Wildcats successfully eliminated four targets across air and sea environments.
Among the destroyed targets was an Albas drone, a rapid fixed-wing aircraft.
The missiles have completed extensive testing in Welsh waters and during Mediterranean exercises
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ROYAL NAVY
Lieutenant Commander Rhydian Edwards, who oversaw the tests, compared hitting the Albas to “trying to kill a fly with a laser-guided dart”.
These devices range from basic models dropping improvised explosives on entrenched positions to precision-guided units that detonate upon impact with vehicles.
Commander Andrew Henderson, who leads the Wildcat Maritime Force at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset, said the trials focused on “pushing the boundaries of its war-fighting capability”.
Defence minister Luke Pollard described the missile as a “significant leap forward” for British military capabilities.
He added: “Its precision against both aerial and surface threats showcases the Royal Navy’s cutting-edge technology and tactical excellence.”
