Royal Navy gets mega missile which travels at three times the speed of soun

[Major Shaitan Singh]

An elite supersonic missile system which can bring down multiple enemy rockets up to 500 miles away is being developed for the Royal Navy.

The cutting-edge £485million Sea Ceptor will be fitted to a new fleet of warships. Travelling at Mach 3 – three times the speed of sound – it will provide potent air defence for the Falklands or the Gulf.

It will also eventually be used by the Army and RAF to protect its bases.

Military bosses have awarded the contract to British firms and it will sustain 500 highly-skilled jobs. A senior source said: “This is the most up-to-date system available and it will enable warships to protect land assets and themselves at the same time.

“If a ship off the Falklands was fitted with Sea Ceptor it could obliterate an incoming enemy missile by travelling at Mach 3, faster than sound, and intercepting it. The same would apply in the case of a ship operating against al-Qaeda off the Gulf or protecting trade vessels close to Iran.”

The Sea Ceptor will be fitted on the new Type 26 global combat ships being *developed. But it will first be used on the existing Type 23 frigates to replace Sea Wolf missiles, which go out of service in 2016.

At 2,304mph, it will outrun a 1,550mph Typhoon jet fighter.

MBDA UK has landed the initial development contract for the first five years. The missile will be made in Stevenage in Herts, Filton in Bristol and Lostock in Bolton.

First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope said: “This weapons system will equip our frigates to deal with the sophisticated missile threat expected in the coming decades.

"Investment in advanced defence technology, such as Sea Ceptor, is vital to ensure the Royal Navy's continued ability to defend the UK's interests wherever necessary."

Defence Equipment Minister Peter Luff said: "The development of this missile system is a huge boost to the UK's world-leading missile industry and once again proves our commitment to providing battle-winning technology to our armed forces."



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