Lightweight Multirole Missile

Lightweight Multirole Missile
S-100 fitted with a Lightweight Multirole Missile
Type	Light Air-to-surface and Surface-to-surface missile
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	2015
Used by	Royal Navy
Production history
Manufacturer	Thales Air Defence
Specifications
Weight	13 kg (28.6 lbs)
Length	1.3 m (4 ft 3 inches)
Diameter	76 mm (3 inches)
Warhead	3 kg (6.6 lbs)
Detonation mechanism	Laser proximity sensor
Propellant	2-stage solid propellant
Operational range	8 km (5 miles)
Speed	Mach 1.5
Guidance system	Multi-mode guidance (Laser beam riding and/or semi-active laser guidance & terminal infrared homing)
Launch platform	Lynx Wildcat

The Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM; previously known as FASGW(L)) is a lightweight air-to-surface and surface-to-surface missile under development by Thales Air Defence for the United Kingdom. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has placed an initial order for 1,000 missiles and deliveries were due to start in 2013. The missile is known as Martlet in British service.

LMM was initially conceived as Thales' response to the MoD's Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon (Light) FASGW(L) requirement. LMM has been designed to be launched from a variety of naval, air and land platforms against a wide range of targets. High precision reduces collateral damage and makes the missile suitable for asymmetric littoral operations. Development began in 2008 and the LMM uses technology from an earlier Thales missile, the Starstreak. Qualification testing and initial production commenced in late 2011, following an initial contract by the UK Ministry of Defence in April 2011. Thales has conducted successful guidance control firings, including a semi-active laser (SAL) version.

The MoD contract includes the design, development and qualification of a laser beam rider version of LMM, together with production of an initial quantity of 1,000 missiles. These will be operated from the new Lynx Wildcat and Thales graphics have shown helicopters carrying twin 7 round launchers. These are due to enter service in 2015. The contract was funded by a deal to "re-role previously contracted budgets to facilitate the full-scale development, series production and introduction of the LMM." In other words, other contract(s) were cut and the funds switched to paying for LMM. The most likely contract affected is for the Starstreak, which is approaching the end of its term.

Thales have test-fired an LMM from a Schiebel Camcopter S-100, demonstrating a potential for use from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

LMM is intended to provide a single family of weapons that can be used in different modes, including:

The LMMs in the initial batch use laser beam riding with infrared terminal homing and a laser proximity sensor, although a semi-active laser version is under development for precision surface attack roles.