Sea Killer / Marte

Sea Killer / Marte
A Marte ER on display aboard an Italian FREMM multipurpose frigate
TypeAnti-ship missile
Place of originItaly
Service history
Used byItaly
Iran
United Arab Emirates
Qatar
Turkmenistan
Venezuela
WarsIran-Iraq War[1]
Production history
ManufacturerMBDA Italia / (historic: Sistel SpA)
Specifications
Mass300 kg (660 lb)[2]
  • Marte ER: 340 kg (750 lb)[3]
  • Marte MK2/S, Marte MK2/N: 310 kg (680 lb)[4][5]
Length4.7 m (15 ft 5 in)[2]
  • Marte ER: 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in)[6]
  • Marte MK2/S, Marte MK2/N: 3.85 m (12 ft 8 in)[4][5]
Diameter0.206 m (8.1 in) (body)[2]
  • Marte ER, Marte MK2/S, Marte MK2/N: 0.316 m (12.4 in) (max body diameter)[6][4][5]
Wingspan0.999 m (3 ft 3.3 in)[2]
Warhead70 kg (150 lb) Semi-armour piercing HE
Detonation
mechanism
Impact and proximity fuze
EngineSolid fuel[broken anchor] rocket booster and sustainer
  • Marte-ER: turbojet Williams WJ-24-8G WR
Operational
range
  • Sea Killer Mark 1: 10 km (6.2 mi)
  • Sea Killer Mark 2: over 25 km (16 mi)
  • Marte MK2/S, Marte MK2/N: 30 km (19 mi)[4][5]
  • Marte ER: over 100 km (62 mi)[6]
Flight altitudeSea skimming
Maximum speed Mach 0,8-0,9
Guidance
system
Launch
platform
Naval ships, aircraft, helicopters, coastal installations

Sea Killer is an Italian anti-ship missile family. The latest development of the system is known as Marte. Marte is a sea skimming, subsonic, anti-ship missile, it carries a 70 kilograms (150 lb) semi-armour piercing warhead. It has been built in several versions, with differing guidance systems, and is suitable for launching from ships or aircraft.

Sea Killer was initially developed during the 1960s and has been deployed by at least six countries. It was used during the Iran–Iraq War, with at least six ships being hit.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference janes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d Pretty 1977, p. 62.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference MARTE ER-Datasheet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference MARTE MK2/S was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference MARTE MK2/N was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference MARTE ER was invoked but never defined (see the help page).