Sea Venom (missile)

For the 1950s jet aircraft, see de Havilland Sea Venom.
Sea Venom
Anti-Navire Léger
TypeAnti-ship missile
Place of origin
  • United Kingdom
  • France
Service history
In service2026 (Royal Navy - projected)
Used by
Production history
ManufacturerMBDA
Specifications
Mass120 kg (260 lb)
Length2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Diameter200 mm (7.9 in)
WarheadHE semi‐armour piercing blast/fragmentation
Warhead weight30 kg (66 lb)
Detonation
mechanism
Impact, time delay
EngineTwo‐stage solid‐propellant rocket motor
Operational
range
> 20 km (11 nmi; 12 mi)
Maximum speed Mach 0.85 (289 m/s; 949 ft/s)
Guidance
system
INS, IIR
Launch
platform
ReferencesJanes[1]

Sea Venom is an Anglo-French lightweight anti-ship missile developed by MBDA to equip the French Navy and the Royal Navy.[2] The missile is known as Anti-Navire Léger (ANL) in France and Sea Venom (formerly "Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy)") in the United Kingdom. While initial operating capability had been expected with the Royal Navy in 2022, it was reported in 2023 that, due to "on-going integration challenges", the Royal Navy's Wildcat helicopters would only achieve full operational capability with the missile in 2026.[3][4][5][6][7] The first test launch, from an AS365 Dauphin helicopter of the French DGA, was successfully conducted on 21 June 2017.[8][9]

  1. ^ Janes (21 November 2022), "Sea Venom/ANL (FASGW[H]/ANL)", Janes Weapons: Air Launched, Coulsdon, Surrey: Jane's Group UK Limited, retrieved 2 January 2023
  2. ^ "SEA VENOM-ANL" (PDF). MBDA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  3. ^ "Royal Navy's Sea Venom light anti-ship missile full operating capability delayed until 2026". Navy Lookout. 21 June 2023.
  4. ^ "RN Wildcats field new anti-surface guided weapons for CSG21".
  5. ^ "The Martlet missile – the Wildcat helicopter gets its claws". www.navylookout.com. 15 June 2020.
  6. ^ "FASGW(H) / ANL" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  7. ^ Richard Scott (17 December 2018). "Sea Venom/ANL missile service entry faces year-long delay". IHS Janes. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  8. ^ Successful First Test Firing for MBDA Sea Venom / ANL Anti-ship Missile - Navyrecognition.com, 4 July 2017
  9. ^ Hoyle, Craig (5 July 2017), "Anglo-French anti-ship missile completes first test", Flightglobal.com