UK buys SPEAR 3 to arm naval aircraft
High-subsonic missile from MBDA will equip F-35B aircraft on UK carriers.
The UK MoD has placed a £550 million order for the Selective Precision Effects At Range (SPEAR) 3 air-to-surface missile, under its Team Complex Weapons agreement between the MoD and MBDA.
SPEAR 3 will arm the F-35B STOVL aircraft carried aboard the UK RN’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.
The high-subsonic missile is powered by a turbojet engine. It is 1.8m long with a range of more than 140km.
‘Its ability to attack moving targets will enhance the UK’s future combat air capability,’ the MoD announced on 6 January.
Under the terms of the seven-year demonstration and manufacturing contract with MBDA, guided firings of SPEAR will begin within 18 months from a Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, with missile and launcher production beginning in 2023.
‘The new contract follows the successful implementation of the weapon development phase contract for SPEAR placed in 2016 and the contracting of integration of SPEAR onto F-35 in 2019,’ MBDA noted.
A total of 21 F-35Bs are in UK service out of 48 on order to date, with plans in place to buy 138 in all. The aircraft recently passed the IOC milestone for the RN; later in 2021, F-35s will sail with HMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden carrier strike group deployment.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Locally produced loitering munition destined for UAE Navy, says MBDA]()
Eurosatory 2026: Locally produced loitering munition destined for UAE Navy, says MBDA
The contract signed between MBDA and Fly-R will see diamond-shaped loitering munitions developed and prepared in the UAE. How does this move fit into wider market trends in the region?
-
![Eurosatory 2026: MBDA and Thales look to civilian industry for loitering munition scale-up]()
Eurosatory 2026: MBDA and Thales look to civilian industry for loitering munition scale-up
Thales and MBDA have taken steps to ensure the mass production of their respective loitering munition offerings at Eurosatoy, teaming with civilian manufacturers. These moves come amid France’s push towards sovereign drone production and continued market expansion.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: How the deep-strike, loitering munition market skyrocketed to $13.8 billion in three years]()
Eurosatory 2026: How the deep-strike, loitering munition market skyrocketed to $13.8 billion in three years
Ukraine’s rapid development of long-range, deep-strike loitering munitions has helped turn the sector into a market worth an estimated US$13.2 billion. The reasons behind this were outlined during Eurosatory 2026, as other countries embark on the early stages of procuring this capability.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Why security agencies are expanding UAS operations across Europe]()
Eurosatory 2026: Why security agencies are expanding UAS operations across Europe
Uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) are an increasingly important tool for Europe’s law enforcement and public security agencies, with the past two years seeing rapid growth in operational deployment, procurement and regulatory acceptance.
-
![Fuselage of the first US Army MV-75 Cheyenne tiltrotor “is nearing completion”]()
Fuselage of the first US Army MV-75 Cheyenne tiltrotor “is nearing completion”
Bell is advancing construction of the US Army’s next-generation MV-75 Cheyenne tiltrotor as FLRAA programme approaches testing, production and future battlefield deployment.
