MBDA has been awarded a £100M Demonstration and Manufacture contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) for the Sea Ceptor air defence system for the UK Royal Navy’s (RN) new class of frigate, the Type 26 (T26) Global Combat Ship (GCS).

This advanced missile system will provide the principal air defence of the T26 and nearby ships against advanced airborne threats including sea-skimming anti-ship missiles, fast jets, helicopters, and UAVS.

The contract is further evidence of the confidence placed in the capability and maturity of the Sea Ceptor system and its CAMM (Common Anti-air Modular Missile) munition by the UK MOD and the RN. 

This Demonstration and Manufacture contract will run for 10 years and involves support to the T26 design as well as the manufacture of the electronics equipment required for the class of eight ships.

Welcoming the contract announcement, James Allibone MBDA’s UK Sales & Business Development Director said: “This investment in the Sea Ceptor system is going to give the Royal Navy and partner navies outstanding air defence cover. Thanks to the Portfolio Management Agreement with the UK MOD, MBDA is providing a common missile system for both naval and land use thereby significantly reducing the cost that would have been involved in developing separate systems”.

With Sea Ceptor now selected for five different naval platform types around the world, MBDA sees further potential for the system and the CAMM family of missiles with other navies.

Dave Armstrong, MBDA Executive Group Director Sales & Business Development and UK Managing Director states: “Naval air defence is more critical than ever given the growing capability of airborne threats. CAMM’s operational flexibility and ease of integration, both as a retrofit or on a new build, combine to offer unrivalled product advantages. Customers appreciate that they are looking at a product which is at the very start of its lifecycle, a product that represents the very latest in air defence technology and one that will be supported with ongoing through life enhancements for at least the next thirty years or more”.

Sea Ceptor is currently undergoing qualification for the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates and the Royal New Zealand Navy’s ANZAC frigates. A key design driver behind the Sea Ceptor concept lies in its simple integration philosophy. Sea Ceptor can be easily retrofitted into a wide range of naval platforms, ranging from 50m OPVs (Offshore Patrol Vessels) to large surface vessels.

CAMM will also feature in providing the British Army’s primary Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) capability when it replaces the currently in-service Rapier system. The CAMM family represents at least the next thirty years of short-range air defence capability within the British armed forces, a capability that will be supported by both MBDA and the MOD.

With a significant presence in five European countries and within the USA, in 2015 MBDA achieved a turnover of € 2.9 billion with an order book of € 15.1 billion. With more than 90 armed forces customers in the world, MBDA is a world leader in missiles and missile systems.

MBDA is the only European group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air). In total, the group offers a range of 45 missile systems and countermeasures products already in operational service and more than 15 others currently in development.

MBDA is owned jointly by Airbus Group (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%), and Leonardo-Finmeccanica (25%).