Royal Navy declares IOC with Sea Venom anti-ship missile on Wildcat

The UK Royal Navy has achieved initial operating capability (IOC) with the Sea Venom anti-ship missile, the navy announced on 2 October 2025.

IOC with the Sea Venom, which was developed by MBDA under the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy) programme, was achieved during the eight-month Operation ‘Highmast’, the Royal Navy’s global mission to the Indo-Pacific led by flagship HMS Prince of Wales, which began in April 2025.

The Sea Venom can now be deployed on the Royal Navy’s Wildcat HMA2 helicopters on front-line duties. Each Wildcat can to carry up to four Sea Venoms, allowing multiple targets to be addressed or salvo firings against larger targets.

While the Wildcats would use the Sea Venom against larger warships, such as corvettes and patrol ships, they would counter boat swarms and smaller vessels using the lightweight Martlet missile, which was developed by Thales under the Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon (Light) programme.

Weighing 120 kg and with a length of 2.5 m, the Sea Venom missile carries a 30 kg-class anti-ship warhead with semi-armour piercing, blast and fragmentation effects to neutralise the broad naval target set encountered in littoral maritime operations, including coastal installations and other land-based targets. The missile travels at high subsonic speeds to ranges exceeding 20 km.

Guided by an uncooled imaging infra-red seeker with advanced image processing capabilities, the missile also has a secure two-way datalink to enable operator-in-the-loop supervision of the engagement, with capabilities such as alternative target selection, aimpoint refinement or mission abort. These features ensure that it can be used under very stringent rules of engagement.

Commander UK Carrier Strike Group, Commodore James Blackmore, was quoted by the Royal Navy as stating, “Achieving initial operating capability with Sea Venom is another milestone in ensuring the Carrier Strike Group remains a world-class, combat ready force. It strengthens our ability to safeguard the maritime environment, reassure allies and deters adversaries. This capability ensures our aircrew can operate with confidence against a wide spectrum of threats, reinforcing the UK’s commitment to delivering decisive air power at and from the sea.”

Commander of the Wildcat Maritime Force, Commander Andrew Henderson, added, “The integration of Sea Venom into a ship’s Wildcat flight at sea represents a significant enhancement to the Royal Navy’s lethality via its ability to strike targets at range. Its precision, range and versatility ensures that our frontline crews are equipped to meet the challenges of a multi domain and complex environment.”