Regardless of the UK authorities saying the profitable firing trials of the SPEAR 3 cruise missile, a system that can present a next-generation land-attack functionality to Royal Navy and Royal Air Pressure pilots, service entry shouldn’t be anticipated till the tip of the last decade on the earliest.
Detailing the firings trials of the SPEAR 3 cruise missile from a BAE Programs-operated Hurricane fourth era fighter at Sweden’s Vidsel vary, the UK authorities on 17 November mentioned the check was the primary time the weapons system had been fired towards a goal, signifying “a big leap ahead” within the programme’s growth.
“Royal Navy and Royal Air Pressure pilots will profit from a cutting-edge new cruise missile, following the primary profitable guided firing trial of the SPEAR missile,” the UK authorities launched acknowledged.
Nonetheless, a programme timeline for its entry into service was not disclosed.
Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard mentioned: “The profitable trial of the pioneering SPEAR missile marks a big leap ahead in UK Armed Forces’ capabilities, making certain our Royal Navy and Royal Air Pressure personnel are geared up with cutting-edge expertise to guard our nation.”
As of September 2024, the SPEAR 3 programme was nonetheless within the demonstration part, with knowledge supplied by the earlier UK authorities in January this 12 months stating the missile can be built-in onto Royal Air Pressure (RAF) and Royal Navy F-35B stealth fighters “by the tip of the last decade”.
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Complete funding within the SPEAR 3 programme runs to roughly £1.4bn ($1.7bn), based on official figures.
Describing the SPEAR 3 as a “subsequent era turbojet-powered miniature cruise missile”, the UK authorities mentioned the missile has a 100km vary and designed for use towards a variety of targets, together with “air defences, ships, tanks, defended buildings and fast-moving autos”.
The SPEAR missile, which is being developed by MBDA, autonomously navigates to the goal through customisable routes earlier than utilizing its all-weather radar seeker to map the goal space, and radiofrequency imagery to have interaction, the UK authorities acknowledged.
It’s not anticipated that the UK will combine SPEAR 3 onto the opposite strike fighter operated by the RAF, the Eurofighter Hurricane, regardless of the sort getting used as host platform for the latest trials.
UK F-35B jets will be capable to carry as much as eight SPEAR missiles at a time.
