The Royal Navy is turning into extra deadly as September brings new developments within the deployment of two of its very important anti-ship missiles.
The Sea Venom gentle anti-ship missile, carried by the Wildcat HMA2, and the ship-borne heavy anti-ship Naval Strike Missile (NSM) are hitting main milestones because the Royal Navy seeks to change into extra deadly within the anti-shipping function. For the previous couple of years, the Royal Navy has been reliant on its submarine functionality to tackle hostile warships.
The causes have been the mixed issues of apparatus leaving service and sluggish growth and integration timelines of their replacements. Now, nonetheless, the Royal Navy appears to be turning a nook as its floor fleet regains the power to tackle hostile floor warships independently.
Sea Venom IOC
On Sept. 7, 2025, Wildcat HMA2 demonstrated that it’s now able to deploying Sea Venom missiles on operations as preliminary working functionality (IOC) has lastly been achieved. The weapon has been carried on operations earlier than, equivalent to through the 2021 Provider Strike Group (CSG), the place a pre-IOC variant of the missile was deployed.
Nonetheless, this was solely as a weapon of final resort, owing to an absence of correct integration between the missile and the plane. With this resolved, Operation Highmast marks the primary time Sea Venom has been deployed prepared for use in fight.
There’s venom within the Wildcat’s chew…
A big milestone in the direction of arming #RoyalNavy maritime assault helicopters with ship-busting missiles has been achieved throughout #CSG25.
Learn extra: pic.twitter.com/Vu64f9htzU
— Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) October 2, 2025
The demonstration of IOC was made through the Royal Navy’s present CSG mission to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In complete, 4 Wildcats have been deployed, with two working from the plane service HMS Prince of Wales, one other from Kind-45 destroyer HMS Dauntless and the fourth flying from HNoMS Roald Amundsen, a Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate of the Royal Norwegian Navy.
The deployment of a Royal Navy Wildcat to the Norwegian vessel highlights the shut integration between the 2 forces. This can additional develop because the Royal Norwegian Navy equips itself with British made Kind-26 anti-submarine frigates, which is able to enter service within the subsequent few years.
Three of those Wildcats took off from HMS Prince of Wales carrying a single Sea Venom every to exhibit the achievement of the missile’s newest milestone. Sea Venom was initially slated to enter service in 2023, however this has been met by appreciable delays over the previous years.
The delays have been probably partially resulting from France leaving this system a couple of years in the past, leaving solely the British portion of MBDA missile techniques to hold on its growth.
NSM Check Fireplace
Moreover, on Sept. 19, HMS Somerset, a Kind-23 Duke class frigate, take a look at fired the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) for the primary time, serving to the Royal Navy to recuperate its surfaced launched anti-ship functionality that was misplaced when the Harpoon missile left service. The take a look at was carried out alongside the Norwegian and Polish militaries, who launched their very own NSMs from floor launchers located on Norway’s coast.
The goal was the ex-HNoMS Trondheim, an Oslo-class frigate of the Norwegian Navy that had been decommissioned in 2006. The ship was struck by NSMs from the three militaries testing their potence, earlier than it was completed off by a torpedo launched from a Norwegian submarine hidden beneath the waves.
ex-🇳🇴HNoMS Trondheim was the goal struck by Naval Strike Missiles fired by @HMSSomerset, HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl, HNoMS Steil and a land-based launcher throughout Train Aegir 25 in early September.
By way of @Sjoforsvaret pic.twitter.com/3VRxkFmkEl
— Navy Lookout (@NavyLookout) October 2, 2025
This take a look at has been a very long time coming with HMS Somerset first fitted with NSM in 2023, only a yr after its unique buy. For at the moment unknown causes, the missile take a look at seemingly took round 18 months to rearrange, delaying the missiles correct entry into service.
Generally known as the Maritime Offensive Strike System (MOSS) within the Royal Navy, the NSM is deliberate to be fitted to many of the nonetheless in service Kind-23 frigates and full fleet of Kind-45 destroyers. The weapon shall be finally changed by MBDA’s newly unveiled Stratus anti-ship/future cruise missile, someday within the 2030s.
Sea Venom
Designed by MBDA missile techniques, Sea Venom was initially an Anglo-French weapon, earlier than the French dropped out of this system within the 2020s. It was initially designed to interchange the Sea Skua missile, carried by the Lynx helicopter in Royal Navy service.
The weapon options a number of enhancements, equivalent to a lighter weight, longer vary of 20 km and the power for use in a hearth and neglect mode, giving the launching helicopter time to flee return fireplace.
The missile’s payload is comparatively small, round 30kg, making it primarily designed for destroying targets as much as the dimensions of a corvette. Nonetheless, its accuracy permits an operator to destroy key elements on board bigger warships, equivalent to fireplace management radars or the bridge, which may end up in a mission kill relying on the state of affairs.
Sea Venom fills an vital area of interest, permitting the Royal Navy to defend itself from a number of swarming missile boats equivalent to these utilized by the Iranian Navy. To this finish, as much as 4 will be carried directly on the Wildcat HMA2. The mix of the 2 is extraordinarily potent because it offers Royal Navy floor ships the power to neutralise a fleet of missile boats while staying out if their vary, utilizing the stand-off distance of the missile and the helicopter collectively.
Such a battle occurred through the 1991 Gulf Battle on the Battle of the Bubiyan Channel, the place Royal Navy Lynx helicopters destroyed 14 Iraqi vessels utilizing the Sea Skua missile. The Wildcat and the Sea Venom share this lineage, filling the identical function in future engagements.
Sea Venom gives operator-in-the-loop functionality in order that the missile will be directed mid-flight, whether or not this be for remaining intention level adjustment, aborting an assault, or for traditional re-targeting throughout fight. This gives the Royal Navy a functionality past customary fireplace and neglect missiles, giving aircrew extra management over the concentrating on of their weapon system by means of the supply of stay digital camera feeds on to the cockpit. But, the missile can nonetheless be operated in a hearth and neglect mode the place it utilises an on board infra-red seeker for concentrating on.
The Sea Venom accomplished a stay fireplace take a look at in 2024, the place a single missile was launched towards a static goal fabricated from transport containers. Extra will be discovered in regards to the take a look at launch in our earlier report right here at The Aviationist.
This take a look at marked an vital milestone for the missile, after years of delays as much as that time. Now, with IOC achieved, Sea Venom shall be deployed an increasing number of over the 28-strong fleet of Royal Navy Wildcats.
Naval Strike Missile
Designed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, the NSM has a 120kg warhead that’s about half the one utilized by the Harpoon missile that NSM seeks to interchange. Nonetheless, its stealthy design, together with using totally passive steerage techniques, permits the NSM to get by means of to its goal with out being detected or intercepted.
The missile doesn’t use radar for steerage, that means that the chance of a hostile detecting the oncoming missile is lowered. Because of this, this maximises the harmful potential of the missile as an opponent is much less prone to see it coming, and so they’re additionally much less prone to activate defensive measures.
Mixed with its sea skimming functionality, the NSM is a really potent missile, explaining its widespread adoption amongst the world’s navies and air forces.
Initially chosen in 2022 after the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine laid naked the Royal Navy’s lack of anti-surface weaponry, the NSM was chosen by then Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to fill the Interim Floor-to-Floor Guided Weapon program.
The basic Harpoon missile was by that time nearing the tip of its usable life, with the final take a look at launch carried out by Kind-23 frigate HMS Westminster in 2022. The missile was formally retired in 2023, though HMS Lancaster continued to hold them for a while after resulting from its deployment to the Gulf area.
💥 Watch @HMSSomerset launching the Naval Strike Missile – the primary @RoyalNavy firing of the brand new ship-busting missiles, able to concentrating on and destroying enemy vessels from over 100 miles away. pic.twitter.com/dj7ApKLEhm
— HMNB Devonport (@HMNBDevonport) September 29, 2025
NSM was meant to be adopted ‘at tempo’ and quickly fitted to Royal Navy warships to interchange Harpoon however full adoption has been sluggish. Nonetheless, the most recent take a look at marks a big second for the Royal Navy because it reveals that it’s as soon as once more capable of interact enemy warships.
NSMs have numerous variants, with 200km and 300km variations extending the vary at which the Royal Navy can battle. As soon as deployed throughout the fleet, NSMs will properly complement the shorter ranged Sea Venom, giving the Navy the tooth it must battle and win.
