UK Increases Production of Martlet Missiles, Some Intended for Ukraine

Ukraine has received and successfully used some Martlet missiles since it first received them back in 2022, destroying Russian Orlan-10 recce UAVs and other targets. On June 27, 2022, servicemen of the 95th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade downed a Russian Ka-52 Alligator helicopter with a Martlet missile.

Great Britain has recently been training more Ukrainian servicemen to use the Martlet.

This missile’s main advantage is that it is multifunctional: it can effectively destroy both aerial and surface targets in a wide range of combat actions. It can be launched from various platforms: helicopters, ships or ground launchers (stationary, mobile or portable, the latter being especially appreciated by the air defenses).

Notably, it is a very modern weapon: the first batch of 1,000 Martlet missiles ordered in 2013 became available in 2021. The UK government’s recent £176 million order envisions not only the production of Martlet missiles but also the modernization of the launching platforms, including antiship missile systems. There are also plans to arm the majority of the Royal Navy’s Wildcat onboard multirole helicopters with Martlet missiles.

Small missile with broad capabilities

The Martlet measures a mere 1.3 m in length and 76 mm in diameter and weighs 13 kg. One British antisubmarine helicopter can carry as many as 20 Martlets in one sortie and effectively destroy seaborne targets as well as helicopters and UAVs thanks to the modern fire control and targeting system.

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Flying at Mach 1.5 (1,800 kmph), the Martlet can effectively destroy targets at ranges up to 9 km. It is half the speed of Starstreak, but this gives it a number of advantages. 

One of the advantages is the longer effective range – 9 km vs the Starstreak’s 5-6 km – as the Martlet spends less fuel per second. Another advantage is higher precision: missile system operators know that at a relatively lower speed it is easier to control a missile and guide it to a moving target. Having selected a surface or aerial target, the operator keeps it locked until the impact while the missile is guided by the laser from the launcher. The laser beam is controlled by the operator through a joystick and the launcher does not need to be moved. Besides, the laser-guided missile ignores heat flares.

The infrared homing head that turns on at the final stage of the flight locks the target, so the flightpath does not need further adjustments by the operator. It should be noted that this mode is effective only against targets with high heat emission, such as engines of aircraft or cruise missiles. The option of manual control significantly broadens the Martlet’s capabilities, allowing for successful action against UAVs, especially small ones with lower heat emission that are more protected against missiles with infrared homing heads.

The cumulative-fragmentation warhead weighs 3 kg – enough to destroy even light armored vehicles. The missile explodes at the minimal distance to the target thanks to the non-contact laser detonator.

The Martlet in the Ukraine Defense Forces

Given the increased production of Martlet missiles in the UK, those supplied to the Ukraine Defense Forces might be launched not only from ground platforms but also from Мі-8 and Мі-24 helicopters. Moreover, in order to save aircraft and crews that Ukraine is short of, Martlet missiles could be launched from UAVs. Austria’s Schiebel has already demonstrated this option: its Camcopter-S100 multirole unmanned helicopter can be armed with a Martlet and operated at ranges up to 200 km.

One more important advantage is the cost. The production of one Martlet costs around $30,000 which is cheaper than $60,000 – $80,000 per Igla-1 missile and greatly cheaper than almost $850,000 per German-produced missile for the Stinger FIM-92K Block I.

Considering the rapid development of unmanned aerial and surface vehicles in Ukraine, the creation of an unmanned Martlet carrier appears to be just a matter of time. The Martlet’s integration with Ukrainian unmanned platforms is sure to enhance the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ ability to destroy Russian surface and air targets, including UAVs, helicopters and even cruise missiles.