Firing Trials of Joint UK-French Sea Venom/ANL Anti-Ship Missile a Success

The MBDA’s leading edge missile will soon equip the Royal Navy’s AW159 Wildcat and Marine nationale’s H160M Guépard shipborne helicopters By Joseph Macey / 27 Nov 2020

Accelerate Defense Modernization through Strategic Sourcing

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Follow DA
MBDA_Sea_Venom_ANL_missile
Image Copyright MBDA

The Sea Venom/ANL anti-ship missile completed its qualification firings trials, with a successful final firing at the French Armament General Directorate (DGA) test site at Ile du Levant on 17 November.

Soon to start equipping the Royal Navy’s AW159 Wildcat and Marine nationale’s H160M Guépard shipborne helicopters, the Sea Venom/ANL anti-ship missile is a co-operation project developed under the Lancaster House treaty between France and the United Kingdom.

The Sea Venom/ANL missile is the first programme to take full advantage of the cross-border centres of excellence on missile technologies launched by the Lancaster House treaty, which celebrated its 10-year anniversary this month.

The final qualification trial tested the missile’s advanced target discrimination within a complex and cluttered naval scenario.

Éric Béranger, MBDA CEO, said: “I want to congratulate the UK-French teams across both MBDA and our governments for the commitment they have shown in meeting this qualification milestone amid the disruption caused by Covid-19. Together they have proven that through co-operation we can jointly overcome adversity and deliver leading edge military capabilities.”

Previous trials have tested the missiles launch envelope, release envelope and engagement modes, such as its low-altitude sea-skimming flight, lock on after launch (LOAL), lock on before launch (LOBL), operator-in-the-loop, and aimpoint refinement.

Posted by Joseph Macey Joseph Macey is a Content Specialist at Defense Advancement, where he has focused on emerging defense technologies since joining in 2022. His expertise spans tactical UAS, rugged computing, and Satellite Communication Systems. After graduating in Journalism from Falmouth University, Joseph began his career in 2019 as a local reporter. His journalism background enhances both his reporting and interview skills, enabling him to provide insightful, authoritative analysis of the latest trends shaping the defense industry. Connect
Advancing Defense Capability Through Strategic Collaboration Defense Advancement works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive defense capabilities forward.