The UK has ordered “hundreds more” lightweight, multirole Martlet missiles from Thales under a 36-million-pound ($48 million) contract.
The order will strengthen the British Armed Forces’ missile stockpiles and support ongoing efforts to counter aerial threats, including drones, in the Middle East and other operational theaters.
Deliveries will begin in the coming months and continue throughout 2026.
Martlet Missiles
Thales has been designing and manufacturing the Martlet missile at its Belfast facility in Northern Ireland, and has quadrupled its production capability since 2022.
Weighing 13 kilograms (29 pounds), the laser-guided missile has a top speed of approximately Mach 1.5 (1,850 kilometers/1,150 miles per hour) and travels at ranges exceeding 6 kilometers (3.7 miles).
The Martlet can be deployed from a variety of platforms, such as traditional naval gun systems, helicopters, man-portable missile launchers, and ground vehicles to counter targets like uncrewed aerial vehicles and other low-flying aircraft, lightly armored vehicles, and fast in-shore attack craft.
It has already been fielded by the armed forces of the UK, such as on the Royal Navy’s Wildcat helicopters deployed to Cyprus to counter Iranian drone threats.
The UK also supplies the missiles as part of military aid to Ukraine for use against Russian forces.
