UK boosts Martlet missile stocks for C-UAS role
Royal Navy Leonardo AW159 Wildcat helicopters armed with the Martlet missile have been providing C-UAS protection for RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. (Crown Copyright)
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced an additional order of Thales Martlet missiles, to be used by the UK Royal Navy and British Army largely in the counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) role.
The MoD said on 1 June 2026 that it had signed a GBP36 million (USD48.3 million) contract with Thales UK for the buy of further Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM), as the Martlet is officially known.
“Deliveries will begin in the coming months and continue throughout 2026, ensuring the armed forces remain equipped to counter aerial threats,” the MoD said.
As noted in the announcement, this latest contract follows an earlier order placed in March 2026 that was also geared at boosting stockpiles of the C-UAS missiles for British forces in the Middle East, following Iranian attacks after the start of US and Israeli strikes on 28 February 2026.
The MoD did not disclose the number of missiles procured in either deal.
The standard 13 kg Martlet design does not feature a seeker but uses laser sensors, with the missile riding the beam to the target from the sighting device at ranges from 400 m out to beyond 6 km. Thales says the missile can be integrated with seeker options including semi-active laser (SAL) and infrared (IR).
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