PREVIEW

The UK’s cutting-edge Spear 3 miniature cruise missile has been successfully fired for the first time during trials in Sweden.

The missile is designed to destroy enemy ground-based air defences such as surface-to-air missile batteries.

The test involved a trial version of the missile, launched from a Typhoon fighter jet high above the Vidsel test range, located inside the Arctic Circle. Once released, the missile’s turbojet engine activated, allowing it to autonomously navigate through predefined waypoints towards its target. Spear 3’s advanced radar seeker then mapped the target area and used radio-frequency imagery to successfully engage its objective.

Spear 3, developed by European defence firm MBDA, is a miniature cruise missile measuring just a third of the size of the Tomahawk missile currently used by the Royal Navy.

Despite its size, it boasts a range exceeding 100km (more than 60 miles) and employs a combination of GPS-aided navigation, radar, laser, and GPS-guidance systems to hit its target with precision.

Once operational, the Spear 3 will equip the UK’s F-35B Lightning jets, with each capable of carrying up to eight of the missiles. This capability will enable pilots to undertake Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) missions, targeting mobile and heavily defended threats while maintaining a safe stand-off distance. The missile is also effective against armoured vehicles and manoeuvrable targets, making it a versatile addition to the UK’s military arsenal.

“This trial was a key step on the way to delivering Spear 3 to the UK frontline, where it will provide a new capability to defeat the most complex air defence systems, enabling pilots to fly and fight wherever they’re needed in defence of the UK and its allies,” said Matthew Brown, programme team leader at Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S).

Spear 3’s development is a UK-based effort, providing a boost to domestic industry and supporting hundreds of jobs within MBDA’s 5,500-strong UK workforce.