MBDA has revealed a brand new variant of the SPEAR weapon system that gives a low-cost addition to the Royal Air Power’s arsenal.
First proven off final week at DSEI, the brand new SPEAR Glide weapon is predicated on the prevailing SPEAR-3 and SPEAR-EW airframes, however with out the TJ-150 turbojet propulsion. As an alternative, it should depend on the carrying plane’s pace and peak to get the weapon into the proper place for launch, the place it should then glide in the direction of the designated goal.
Using the frequent SPEAR airframe permits MBDA to leverage the kinematics of a missile that’s already being built-in onto RAF platforms. Furthermore, this is able to pace up the event and, finally, the fielding to the operational items.
Spear Glide can match into the identical launchers as its sister missiles, chopping integration prices and offering a quickly producible weapon system. Typhoons utilizing exterior launchers will have the ability to carry three weapons on every launcher, while F-35 Lightnings will have the ability to carry 4 weapons in every bomb bay.
New at #DSEI2025 is #SPEAR Glide!
🎥 Watch the video to discover this modern resolution designed for top mass deployment, providing a cheap method to saturate and overwhelm enemy air #defences#MBDA #innovation #SpearFamily pic.twitter.com/l7qbqIMcNJ
— MBDA (@MBDAGroup) September 11, 2025
Moreover, the dearth of an engine offers SPEAR Glide the flexibility to deal with a a lot bigger warhead, permitting the destruction of extra hardened targets, akin to command bunkers or ammunition depots. While the dearth of propulsion does restrict the vary of the weapon, it’s reportedly in the identical 80km vary bracket that different glide bombs possess, giving the launcher plane a restricted stand-off functionality.
Its steerage bundle is to be dual-mode, much like the Brimstone missile at present in service with the RAF, combining electro-optical/infrared imaging with semi-active laser steerage. Nevertheless, it is usually to make use of image-based navigation and a type of synthetic intelligence to find the goal space even when navigational GPS is denied by digital warfare.
SPEAR Glide is designed for use along side its jet powered counterparts, complementing SPEAR-3 that has an extended vary and a smaller warhead. SPEAR-3 can be used to take out excessive worth targets from afar, destroying radars and floor to air missiles (SAM) that may threaten the strike bundle.
SPEAR GLIDE breaks cowl in London as MBDA showcases its weapon prowess #avgeek #DSEI2025 #DSEI pic.twitter.com/gdbCe6Yoho
— Tim Robinson (@RAeSTimR) September 12, 2025
This could then permit the deploying plane to get inside vary of an opponent’s hardened targets, the place a bigger variety of cheaper SPEAR Glide might be unleashed to overwhelm the goal and its level defences. SPEAR-EW can be used along side each weapons, offering an digital warfare defence towards an opponent’s radars, jamming them and permitting SPEAR-3 and SPEAR Glide to hit their targets with minimal interference.
Notably, SPEAR Glide is designed to be extra inexpensive than the turbojet outfitted missile variants, permitting for a bigger stockpile of precision strike weapons than is at present obtainable. At the moment, the UK is on the lookout for decrease value choices to complement its increased finish missile programs so as to present their navy with a bigger journal that’s extra capable of take care of sustained peer degree conflicts. Right here a doable conflict towards Russia is the principle focus with low-cost weapons essential to match the dimensions and the pace of weapons manufacturing at present seen by each Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
The present stockpile of weapons utilized by the UK is reasonably small and restricted in its selection, suited way more for a peacetime navy targeted on just some frequent weapon programs. For lengthy vary precision strike the UK at present makes use of the Storm Shadow air launched cruise missiles (ALCM), Tomahawk land assault cruise missiles (TLAM) and the Naval Strike Missile for anti-ship engagements.
Nevertheless, at shorter ranges the RAF is proscribed to the air launched Brimstone anti-armour missile and the 500lb Paveway IV guided bomb. This isn’t an intensive stockpile.
While the SPEAR-3 is meant to be used on British and Italian F-35B Lightning fighters, integration of the weapons has but to be achieved. It’s hoped that by offering SPEAR Glide as a complimentary weapon, the stockpile of obtainable weapons on F-35 might be quickly expanded. This issue is essential for the UK specifically.
Through the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya, the variety of obtainable Brimstone missiles dropped to single figures because of the excessive depth of the battle, necessitating the usage of tons of of missiles within the house of some quick weeks.
While the RAF was capable of keep it up the marketing campaign as a consequence of speedy deliveries of freshly manufactured missiles from MBDA, it uncovered a essential weak spot within the RAF, because it might shortly run out of offensive weapons throughout fight. For context, the stockpile of some hundred missiles was run by way of by a mixed complete of solely 16 Twister GR4 fighter bombers.
SPEAR Glide proposes an answer to this stockpile disaster, offering the RAF a bigger variety of obtainable weapons which might be readily built-in onto current Storm and Lightning fighters. Becoming snugly within the British Authorities’s dedication to growing the UK’s current stockpile of munitions specified by the 2025 Strategic Defence Assessment, SPEAR Glide provides a brand new, a lot wanted weapon to this arsenal.
Moreover, the CEO of MBDA Eric Beranger acknowledged:
“SPEAR GLIDE embodies MBDA’s dedication to a complete, environment friendly, built-in weapons portfolio. By providing a lower-cost, increased mass possibility that matches seamlessly into our household of programs, we’re enhancing flexibility and worth for sovereign capabilities.”
Why a glide bomb?
To place it bluntly, for Ukraine, Russian glide bombs have been a menace on the battlefield.
Since early 2023, the Russian Air Power (VKS) has been deploying giant numbers of UMPK glide bombs towards the Ukrainian navy. They’ve an in-built GLONASS steerage system (Russian equal of GPS) and extendable wings that permit for exact assaults towards Ukrainian positions, with out risking the attacking plane, at an inexpensive value.
Initially of the conflict, Russia had a big stockpile of unguided bombs that might not but be leveraged towards Ukraine because of the VKS’ lack of ability to function within the Ukrainian inside on account of the preponderance of Ukraine’s SAM community. Now, with the UMPK add-on kits, the VKS has change into related on the battlefield as soon as once more.
From ranges as much as 100km away from the frontline, VKS fighter bombers such because the Su-34 have been capable of goal Ukrainian positions throughout the relative security of Russian held territory. When the FAB-500 UMPK first entered the scene, there was little the Ukrainians might do to cease them, past capturing down the fighters carrying the weapons past the road of contact.
Nevertheless, solely uncommon lengthy vary SAMs such because the MIM-104 Patriot or the S-300 had the vary to strike them. This in flip uncovered these SAMs to ballistic missile and anti-radiation strikes, with plenty of examples misplaced within the months after their introduction.
Failing to cease the glide bomb menace was vital, particularly across the metropolis of Avdiivka, as in early 2024 there have been on common 80 glide bomb strikes a day towards Ukrainian sturdy factors within the metropolis. This onslaught was deemed to be essentially the most vital issue within the metropolis’s fall that yr, as Ukraine had no defence for its forces throughout the metropolis.
The bombing was relentless all through the battle, with Ukrainian positions mounted in place by infantry assaults, earlier than being hit from the air by glide bombs. A budget nature of the bombs and their steerage kits made this repeatable on a grand scale, they usually stay an issue for Ukraine nonetheless in 2025.
A FAB-3000 Glide Bomb strike on a short lived deployment level for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). pic.twitter.com/9z9aJO1lpB
— OSINTWarfare (@OSINTWarfare) June 6, 2025
Alternatively, Ukraine has additionally made use of glide bombs within the type of the French AASM Hammer rocket propelled bomb. Dropped from Mig-29 and Su-25 fighters, the Ukrainians have achieved some nice success with the weapon, utilizing them throughout their 2024 offensive into the Kursk area.
At excessive altitude these weapons have a variety of round 80km much like SPEAR Glide, however at low ranges this drops right down to between 20 to 25km.
These weapons are additionally comparatively cheap, counting on unguided Mk 82 bombs from the U.S. because the core explosive, which have been produced in vital portions over their a few years in use. While the steerage and rocket kits are costlier than their Russian counterparts, they’re way more correct permitting for fewer required bombs to hit a single goal.
Because of their battlefield use and reported success in concentrating on excessive worth Russian targets, the French authorities has determined to ramp up manufacturing of the glide bomb, taking the variety of weapons produced above the reported 2025 goal of 1,200 steerage kits. This represents a big increase for Ukraine’s defences, though the manufacturing quantity remains to be restricted in comparison with the Russian goal of 75,000 UMPK steerage kits for 2025.
Extra have to be accomplished for Europe and the U.S. to extend their manufacturing of comparable weapons if they’re to match Russian firepower and correctly equip each Ukraine and themselves.
💥 Ukraine destroyed a bridge over the Konka river to cease a Russian assault in Kherson.This could possibly be the work of an American GLSDB long-range glide bomb launched by an F-16.Ukraine obtained a brand new batch of those bombs with up to date electronics to withstand Russian countermeasures. pic.twitter.com/uXNjvQj2mV
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) March 15, 2025
Spear Glide could be the reply to this, or at the least for the UK, giving the RAF the firepower it wants at a sustainable degree for peer degree conflicts. The weapon could possibly be a sport changer for the way in which through which the UK handles defence procurement, particularly if the prices are as little as MBDA would really like them to be.
It’s definitely the kind of weapon that the UK wants whether it is to construct a big stockpile of munitions with which it may face the sorts of threats that Ukraine does day by day. MBDA simply must ship.
