AW159 Wildcat conducts first Martlet LMM firing test
Leonardo and Thales reported on 26 May that the AW159 Wildcat helicopter had completed the first successful test firing of the Thales Martlet Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM).
A series of trials to demonstrate integration of the LMM with Leonardo’s Wildcat took place from 27 April until 21 May 2020, as part of the UK MoD’s Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) programme.
Nick Whitney, managing director of Leonardo Helicopters UK, said: ‘the combination of the AW159 Wildcat and Martlet missile will be a flexible and effective tool for the RN. Next year the Wildcat fleet will embark on Carrier Strike Group missions with HMS Queen Elizabeth on its maiden operational deployment.’
Leonardo signed a 2014 contract with MBDA to integrate and install its Sea Venom/ANL heavy missile with the Wildcat. The same contract also included the integration of Thales’ light missile systems.
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