Scott Nicholas
MBDA and the U.K. navy have completed the first firings of a new air missile defense system designed to intercept and engage adversarial missiles that travel at supersonic speeds.
The Sea Ceptor weapon system was test-fired from the HMS Argyll Type 23 frigate off the coast of Scotland, the U.K. ministry of defense said Monday.
Sea Ceptor is built to replace Sea Wolf weapons currently used on U.K.’s Type 23 frigates and equipped with MBDA’s Common Anti-air Modular Missile along with radar and datalink technologies that work to guide missiles after launch.
Harriett Baldwin, British minister of defense procurement, said the air missile defense system will help the country’s navy to defend nuclear deterrent submarines and aircraft carriers against threats.
The service branch plans to conduct additional Sea Ceptor firing trials ahead of the system’s deployment to Japan in 2018.
