MBDA has confirmed a successful first firing of MBDA’s Sea Venom/ANL anti-ship missile.
Conducted in June at the Île du Levant test range in France, this is the first major milestone for the missile, which has been developed in partnership between the UK and France. The partnership developed in 2014, with the order of the missile, and has since seen a 50/50 split in development between the two countries. This has seen the development of shared centres of excellence , which will provide significant benefits in the future.
The 100kg-class missile has been developed to deliver an enhanced capability, replacing existing and legacy systems such as the UK-developed Sea Skua and the French-developed AS15TT anti-ship missiles. It can be used from a wide range of platforms, making it compatible with numerous systems.
Frank Bastart, head of the Sea Venom/ANL programme at MBDA, said: “The missile trial was a complete success, and is a proud moment for the company and all those involved in the project. When it enters service Sea Venom/ANL will provide a major increase in capability to the French and UK armed forces.”
Paul Goodwin, deputy head of the Sea Venom project, added: “Although a first firing this was in no way a cautious one. The system was pushed to the very edge of its range capability – a bold step showing our confidence in the design maturity and making success all the more sweet. The next step is to exercise the systems’ operator-in-the-loop capabilities.”
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