Sea Skua

Sea Skua
Sea Skua missile on a Westland Lynx of the German Navy
Type	Air-to-surface missile
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1982
Used by	See operators
Wars	Falklands War, Gulf War
Production history
Designer	British Aircraft Corporation
Designed	1972
Manufacturer	British Aircraft Corporation (1972-1977) BAe Dynamics (1977-1999) MBDA (UK) Ltd (since 1999)
Produced	1975
Specifications
Weight	145 kg
Length	2.5 m
Diameter	0.25 m
Warhead	30 kg SAP, 9 kg RDX
Detonation mechanism	Impact Fuze, delayed detonation.
Engine	solid fuel booster / solid fuel sustainer
Wingspan	0.72 m
Operational range	25 km
Speed	Mach 0.8 +
Guidance system	semi-active radar homing
Steering system	control surfaces
Launch platform	Westland Lynx, Combattante BR-42 FAC

The Sea Skua is a British lightweight short-range air-to-surface missile (ASM) designed for use from helicopters against ships. It is primarily used by the Royal Navy on the Westland Lynx. Although the missile is intended for helicopter use, Kuwait employs it in a shore battery and on their Umm Al Maradem (Combattante BR-42) fast attack craft.

The British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) began development of the weapon in May 1972. The British Government authorised its production in October 1975. At the time, the missile was known as CL834. In November 1979 the first launches took place at the Aberporth Range in Cardigan Bay. Three missiles were launched from the ground and three by helicopters. Further tests were made and in July 1981, full-scale production was ordered of the new missile, now called "Sea Skua".

With the missile weighing only 320 pounds (150 kg) at launch, a Lynx helicopter can carry up to four (two on each wing pylon). The booster is a Royal Ordnance (now Roxel UK) "Redstart" steel body, while the sustainer is a Royal Ordnance "Matapan" light alloy body. The missile flies at high subsonic speed to a range of up to 15.5 miles (24.9 km). The official range is declared to be 15 km, but this is widely exceeded. The missile has two sensors: a semi-active radar homing system by Marconi Defence Systems, and a Thomson-TRT AHV-7 radar altimeter (which is also used by the Exocet missile), built under licence by British Aerospace Defence Systems.

It can be set to travel at one of four pre-selected heights, depending on the surface conditions. Near the target, the missile climbs to a height at which it can "acquire" the target. The launching helicopter illuminates the target with its radar (originally the specially developed Ferranti Seaspray in the case of the Lynx), and the missile's homing head homes in on the reflected energy. On impact it penetrates the hull of a ship before detonating the 62 pounds (28 kg) blast fragmentation warhead. A semi armour piercing (SAP) warhead is also available; this contains 9 kilograms (20 lb) of RDX, aluminium and wax. The fuze is an impact-delayed model.