UK sends pointed message to Putin after successful test of 'cutting edge' cruise missiles

The trial of the SPEAR cruise rocket sends a connection to Vladimir Putin (Image: MBDA/GETTY)

Amid spiking tensions betwixt Russia and the West, the UK has sent a pointed connection to President Vladimir Putin with the palmy trial of a "cutting edge" cruise rocket susceptible of hitting targets astatine a region of much than 60 miles.

And Armed Forces curate Luke Pollard hailed what helium called a "significant leap forward” and 1 which would “help support our nation”.

The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force are acceptable to payment from the SPEAR missile, a turbojet-powered miniature cruise rocket developed successful the UK by MBDA.

In a large milestone, SPEAR successfully completed its archetypal guided firing trial, launched from a Typhoon pitchy astatine Sweden’s Vidsel range.

This trial marked the archetypal clip the strategy had engaged a target, demonstrating its precision and precocious capabilities.

SPEAR rocket archetypal guided firing (Image: MBDA)

Each rocket is susceptible of hitting targets up to 62 miles (100km) away, including aerial defences, ships, and fast-moving vehicles.

Once successful service, SPEAR volition beryllium deployed connected F-35B jets, enabling strikes from some onshore and the UK’s Queen Elizabeth-class craft carriers.

Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard praised the breakthrough: “The palmy proceedings of the pioneering SPEAR rocket marks a important leap guardant successful UK Armed Forces’ capabilities, ensuring our Royal Navy and Royal Air Force unit are equipped with cutting-edge exertion to support our nation.”

He added that the programme besides benefits the UK system by supporting high-skilled jobs and innovation.

Mike Mew, MBDA’s tactical onslaught director, called SPEAR “a genuinely unsocial limb strategy – the archetypal to connection the range, flexibility, precision, and load-out to decision modern force aerial defences.”

The proceedings highlighted SPEAR’s precocious features, including autonomous navigation via customisable routes and a radar seeker that maps and engages targets adjacent successful mediocre weather.

Matthew Brown, SPEAR squad person astatine Defence Equipment & Support, described the trial arsenic “a cardinal measurement connected the mode to delivering SPEAR to the UK frontline, wherever it volition supply a caller capableness to decision the astir analyzable aerial defence systems.”

This proceedings forms portion of a broader £6.5 cardinal Ministry of Defence concern successful UK weaponry, including programmes similar Brimstone and Sea Venom.

Chris Moon, BAE Systems’ UK transportation manager for Typhoon Capability, said: “This palmy firing from Typhoon is arsenic a effect of the hard enactment and outstanding collaboration betwixt MBDA, MoD and BAE Systems unit implicit galore months.”

The SPEAR programme showcases Britain’s enactment successful weapons innovation, strengthening some nationalist defence and its concern base.

SPEAR is equipped with the latest procreation precision effects warhead and guidance (Image: MBDA)

Since coming to powerfulness successful July 2024, the UK Labour authorities has emphasised continuity and innovation successful its defence spending priorities.

Committed to raising defence expenditure to 2.5% of GDP by 2030, it aims to guarantee NATO obligations are met portion addressing planetary information challenges.

Labour announced a Strategic Defence Review (SDR) to refine priorities, focusing connected enhancing European security, sustaining the UK's atomic deterrent, and advancing partnerships similar AUKUS for cutting-edge technologies.

Recruitment, unit welfare, and boosting the home defence manufacture are cardinal elements of their agenda. The Government has besides highlighted the value of innovation, proposing initiatives similar a Defence Innovation Agency and strategies for resilience and precocious munitions.