The first guided firing trial of a SPEAR air-to-surface cruise missile has recently been conducted by a joint UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and industry team, the MoD announced on 17 November 2024.
The firing, which was conducted on 17 October, took place over the Vidsel test range in Sweden.
The guided firing of the MBDA-designed SPEAR, which is a turbojet-powered miniature cruise missile with a range of over 100 km, marks a critical milestone in the development and maturity of the programme, which is managed by the UK MoD’s Defence Equipment and Support organisation.
SPEAR is destined to arm the UK’s F-35B Lightning fifth-generation fighters, allowing the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force to project power at increased range from both land bases and Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Each F-35B aircraft will be able to carry up to eight SPEARs, which can be used to attack a wide range of targets, including air defences, ships, tanks, defended structures and fast-moving vehicles.
The trial, which used a telemetry unit instead of a live warhead, demonstrated the release, gather and long-range free-flight control of the missile following a high-altitude and high-speed release from a Typhoon fighter. It also demonstrated the missile’s ability to autonomously navigate to its target via predefined waypoints, using its advanced all-weather radar seeker to map the target area and then seeker radio-frequency imagery to successfully engage the target itself. SPEAR missiles can find their targets using a combination of laser, radar or GPS-aided guidance.
“This guided firing represents a major step in the capability development of the SPEAR programme and is the first in a campaign of firings to demonstrate the missile’s capabilities. Dean Pask, the UK MoD’s senior responsible owner for SPEAR, was quoted as saying in an MBDA press release. “The success of this test is a testament to the hard work and collaborative efforts of our industry partners at MBDA and BAE Systems, as well as MoD personnel across multiple teams.”
“SPEAR is a truly unique weapon system – the first to offer the range, flexibility, precision and load-out to defeat modern enemy air defences,” added Mike Mew, tactical strike director at MBDA. “The success of this trial is thanks to excellent joint working from teams across MoD, BAE Systems and MBDA.”
The UK MoD noted in its press release that SPEAR is part of a wider portfolio that supports GBP 6.5 billion (EUR 7.8 billion) of planned investment in the UK weapons industry by the MoD over the next decade, which includes other missile programmes such as Brimstone, CAMM, Sea Viper, Sea Venom and Storm Shadow, “putting the UK at the forefront of future weapons development”.
