Naval Warfare

IAI and Thales UK offer Sea Serpent for Royal Navy

13th April 2021 - 17:06 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

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IAI is working with Thales with the aim to equip UK RN Type 23 frigates with a new kind of missile. (Photo: IAI)

Partners IAI and Thales wish to equip Type 23 frigates with next-generation missile technology.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Thales UK on 13 April announced a cooperation agreement to offer Sea Serpent anti-ship and anti-surface missiles to the UK RN.

The RN may equip its Type 23 frigates with Sea Serpent in response to the growing intensity of emerging threats.

Sea Serpent provides anti-ship and land capabilities at ranges beyond 200km. Its design is derived from the Gabriel family of surface-to-surface missiles, albeit with significant upgrades.

According to IAI, Sea Serpent can overcome kinetic counter-fire and electronic countermeasures so that the missile can locate and attack its target in any environment.

The missile has been designed for contested and confusing situations, characterised by many decoys and interference. Sea Serpent can adjust its course while in flight, using real-time ISTAR feeds.

The partnership with Thales follows an announcement last year that IAI and ST Engineering were teaming up to market a new anti-ship missile.

This article was updated on 14 April to reflect the fact that a decision is pending on Type 23 missiles.

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