A Royal Navy AW159 Wildcat multi-role helicopter visited the French naval air base of Hyères in Southern France last week. It was spotted with a Martlet launcher. The British helicopter took part in the French Navy’s “Wildfire” counter drone exercise.
The Wildcat HMA2 helicopter was spotted by local photographer Hervé Dermoune a week ago. Photos show the Wildcat flying from Hyères naval air base with a single five-cell Martlet launcher under its port stores carrier. On two pictures (taken on different days), a Martlet cell is broken, indicating that the helicopter took part in some firing.
Open source transponder data show the Wildcat was flying sorties above the DGA test range of Ile du Levant, a location routinely used by the French Navy for missile firing exercises. A DGA post on social media confirms that a Wildcat helicopter was in the area last week to take part in the “Wildfire 25.2” counter drone exercise. This was the fifth iteration of the exercise. It saw the participation of several French Navy surface combatants and air assets. The DGA deployed 26 Snipe and Banshee air targets and 9 surface targets, but a total of 80 targets were deployed (by the DGA and private contractor Sea Owl) for this exercise, including underwater drones.
About Martlet / LMM
Procured to meet the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Light) requirement, Martlet uses the laser beam-riding Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) by Thales as its effector.
Martlet achieved IOC on the Wildcat HMA2 in October 2021. As well as providing a proportionate capability against small ‘asymmetric ‘surface targets, such as fast inshore attack craft, the system has also demonstrated an air-to-air capability against uncrewed air vehicles.
Wildcat can carry up to four five-cell Martlet launchers (two on each stores carrier) for a total outload of 20 LMM missiles. Alternatively, a Wildcat can be configured to carry a mixed load of one Martlet launcher (inboard) and one Sea Venom missile (outboard) on either wing.
Sea Venom missile achieves IOC with RN
Incidently, the Royal Navy last week also declared an Initial Operating Capability (IOC) with MBDA’s Sea Venom anti-ship guided weapon system. The service said that IOC was achieved during the CSG25 carrier strike deployment (Operation Highmast). Four Wildcat HMA2 helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron – operating from the carrier HMS Prince of Wales, the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless and Norwegian frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen as part of CSG25 – are configured for Sea Venom.
Beng procured to meet the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy) requirement, Sea Venom is designed for use against small surface combatants up to corvette size, and for precision strike against coastal installations. The missile, which can deliver its 30 kg semi-armour piercing warhead out to a range of 30 km, uses an imaging infrared seeker with advanced target recognition algorithms to accurately select the correct target in dense shipping scenarios.
A two-way data link allows Operator-In-The-Loop (OITL) guidance, enabling mid-flight adjustments and aimpoint refinement in situations where strict Rules of Engagement apply. A ‘fire and forget’ mode is also available.
A first Sea Venom firing from a Wildcat helicopter was undertaken on the UK Ministry of Defence’s Aberporth range in west Wales in October 2024. This trial, which exercised the missile in OITL mode, resulted in the missile successfully hitting a target barge.
The Wildcat HMA2 helicopter can carry up to four Sea Venom missiles (two beneath each stores carrier ‘wing’). This provides a capability to strike multiple targets in a single sortie, or to launch a salvo against a single target.
