British Navy is currently testing the Martlet Missile, a lightweight multirole missile. It's designed for rapid response to a variety surface threats. This versatile missile can be fired from both air platforms and sea platforms, making it ideal for integrating onto unmanned aircraft.
Martlets have the ability to carry large warheads. This allows them greater penetration of targets. In addition, they have longer ranges than the 30mm cannons currently in service by the Royal Navy. They can be fitted to have different blast effects or can be used as targets for sensitive targets.
Martlets come equipped with a proximity sensor that can detect lasers and trigger small fragmentation warheads. In the terminal phase, the missile switches to an imaging infrared seeker to ensure it will hit the target. This makes them virtually impossible decoys. If the laser beam becomes disrupted, then the missile will switch over to a higher-powered module.
The UK is expected adopt the Martlet in 2021. It is unclear when it will happen. Despite its capabilities, the missile may have some drawbacks, which should be considered when planning combat sorties. The lack of a visual warning system is one of the drawbacks. Without proper viewing, it's difficult to identify which plane or vessel is launching. For example, a missile could shoot down a helicopter or boat. However, it is hard to know if this is actually happening.
Martlets, however, are not the only light multi-role missiles. The MBDA Sea Venom has twice the range of the Martlet. The MBDA Starburst was another missile that was designed to take down unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs). And there's the Thales Lightweight Multi-role Missile (LMM).
Martlets have been deployed to Ukraine, where Ukrainian troops reportedly used them in an actual conflict. Martlet MANPADS are light-guided anti aircraft missiles that can be used to destroy aircraft. They are not commonly used by the UK army but have been sent to different military units. It is possible that they could be ready for use in time for any future conflict.
Martlets were originally created to defend against swarming vessel attacks. However, they are capable of defending against UAVs as well as other types of aircraft. Additionally, they have a greater range than the 30mm cannons. These cannons are limited in their ability of engaging targets simultaneously. It is because they fly at high speeds which increase their range. These missiles can also be equipped with telemetry to aid in measuring the accuracy of their launches.
Martlets can travel eight kilometers, and can be fired from both sea and air platforms. They can be mounted on either five- or seven-tube clusters. They can also be fired from side-mounted or shoulder cannons. Some are slated for use on Wildcat helicopters in the Royal Navy. HMS Sutherland has been testing Martlets at the moment. During the test, four Martlets were fired from a quintuple-mount on the ship's 30mm cannon.
Martlets have launchers that are identical to those used by the Starstreak mobile air-defense missile. Martlets can be fired remotely from remote-controlled cannons.