Royal Navy trials new missile to target small boats in wake of tensions with Iran

The Royal Navy has trialled a new missile to target small boats in the wake of tensions with Iran.

HMS Sutherland, a Devonport-based Type 23 Frigate, fired four new Martlet missiles at a fast-moving speedboat off the Welsh coast to see whether the weapon could be launched from a ship as well as a helicopter.

The target boat took a direct hit in the Irish Sea.

Carrying a 3kg warhead, the missiles can accelerate rapidly up to one-and-a-half times the speed of sound and are guided to their target by following a laser beam fired from the ship or other assets nearby.

Designed to be fired by Wildcat helicopters, the Martlet – also known as the Lightweight Multi-role Missile - is undergoing trials prior to coming into service.

The trials are taking place against a backdrop of recent tensions with Iran around the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.

The regular Iranian navy and Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) naval force have numerous missile gunboats and surface craft, all armed with advanced torpedoes, mines and anti-ship missiles, as well as anti-aircraft guns.

Naval forces in the region, such as the US Fifth Fleet based alongside the British contingent in Bahrain, are vulnerable to swarm attacks by fast inshore attack craft in the narrow and shallow waters of the Gulf.

Four missiles were fired in the recent test, one to assess the effect of the Martlet ‘blasting off’ from its launcher on the gun mounting and the side of HMS Sutherland and three others packed with telemetry to measure the missile’s accuracy.

Were Martlet missiles to be fitted to Type-23 ships they would complement Harpoon, the existing long-range anti-ship missile and Seawolf, the 30-year-old air defence guided missile. Ships also carry a 30mm gun for use against fast attack craft.

The trial firings were recorded by high resolution cameras so the team from manufacturers Thales and military scientists could analyse the effects in minute detail.

Lieutenant Commander George Blakeman, HMS Sutherland’s Weapon Engineer Officer, said: “The current defence against fast inshore attack craft, the 30mm gun, is highly effective for closer range engagements.

“By adding the missile to the gun mount it is anticipated it will extend the reach of the ship’s defensive systems – key to successful defence against fast craft using swarm attack tactics.

“The Fighting Clan has always had a reputation for being at the forefront of innovation and we were delighted to be chosen to support this trial.”