Active Royal Navy weapon systems

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This is a list of Active Royal Navy weapon systems.

Guns[]

4.5-inch Mark 8 naval gun[]

The 4.5-inch (114 mm) Mark 8 gun can be found on all the Royal Navy's frigates and destroyers and was used from the Falklands War to the War in Iraq. The gun can fire up to 24 high explosive shells per minute, each weighing more than 40 kilograms (88 lb), at targets more than 12 miles (19 km) away – this can be extended to nearly 18 miles (29 km) if special extended-range shells are used.

The main purpose of the gun is naval gunfire support – artillery bombardment of shore targets. In this role the gun is capable of firing the equivalent of a six-gun shore battery. It can still be used as an anti-ship weapon.^[1]

30 mm DS30M Mark 2 naval gun[]

The 30 mm DS30M Mark 2 is a 30-millimetre (1.2 in) automated naval gun system designed to defend ships from fast inshore attack craft armed with short-range weaponry. The DS30M Mark 2 system consists of a 30 mm Mark 44 Bushmaster II cannon on a fully automated mount with an off-mount electro-optical director (EOD). The system is fitted to all 13 Type 23 frigates, all 6 Type 45 destroyers, batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) and several Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships when they have the weapons package added. In the future the system will be fitted to the aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.^[2]

Oerlikon 20 mm cannon[]

The Oerlikon 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon can be found on the Albion-class landing platform docks, the batch 1 River-class OPVs, the Echo-class survey ships, the primary casualty receiving ship RFA Argus and both the Fort Victoria and Fort Rosalie-class replenishment oilers.

Browning .50-calibre (12.7 mm) heavy machine gun[]

The Browning .50-calibre heavy machine gun can be found fitted to ships, the first of which was HMS Atherstone in 2014,^[3] and in 2021 it was reported that HMS Lancaster had also been fitted with them.^[4]

7.62 mm miniguns[]

All Royal Navy ships carry miniguns for close in defence.^[5][6]

7.62 mm General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG)[]

GPMGs are used for close in defence.^[5][6]

Close-in weapon systems[]

Phalanx 20 mm[]

The Phalanx Close-in Weapon System (CIWS) is an anti-ship missile defence system. It is fitted to HMS Albion, the Type 45 destroyers as well as the Bay-class landing ships and Wave and Fort Victoria-class replenishment oilers in the RFA. It is also currently in the designs for the new Type 26 frigate. During Operation Telic, Phalanx guns were removed from ships and were crewed by RN personnel based at Basra airport, as part of the Centurion C-RAM system.^[7]

Phalanx is now the only CIWS fitted to Royal Navy ships following the decommissioning of HMS Invincible, HMS Illustrious and the Type 22 frigates which were equipped with Goalkeeper. The last active Goalkeeper system was removed from HMS Bulwark when she entered extended readiness in 2016.

Torpedoes[]

Spearfish torpedo[]

The Spearfish torpedo is the Royal Navy's heavyweight torpedo, weighing nearly 2 metric tons (2.0 long tons; 2.2 short tons), which is carried by both the attack submarines and ballistic missile submarines. It has a range of more than 30 mi (48 km) with a speed in excess of 92 miles per hour (148 km/h) and can be used either against other submarines or ships of any size. It carries a 300 kg (660 lb) explosive charge and is guided either by its in-built sonar or via a copper-cadmium wire.^[8]

The Spearfish is undergoing a major upgrade program which will provide sophisticated advances in its homing, warheads, tactical and fueling systems, as well an upgraded guidance link.^[9]

Sting Ray torpedo[]

The Sting Ray torpedo is the Royal Navy's lightweight torpedo which is designed to be carried by the anti-submarine helicopters AgustaWestland Merlin and Lynx Wildcat. It has a range of around 5 mi (8.0 km) with a speed of more than 52 mph (84 km/h) and is designed to be used predominantly against submarines. It carries a 45 kg (99 lb) explosive charge which is powerful enough to punch through the double hulls of modern submarines.^[10] It is also integrated on board the Type 23 frigates, deployed by two twin torpedo launchers.

Depth charges[]

The Mk11 or Mk 11 Depth Charge is a depth charge used by Lynx Wildcat or Merlin Mk2 helicopters to attack enemy submarines.^[11]

Mine disposal system[]

Seafox[]

The Seafox Mine Disposal System is an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) used by both the Sandown and Hunt-class minehunters to counter naval mines. The unit incorporates a remotely controlled surveillance system in order to identify a target, guided from the parent ship via fibre optic cables. Once a mine has been identified, an expendable autonomous or remote guided unit is guided to the target and detonates a shaped charge to destroy the mine. Four independent reversible motors and a hover thruster provide high manoeuvrability, allowing for exact placement prior to charge detonation. The Seafox is highly capable unit that seen action with the Royal Navy in recent conflicts clearing coastal waters in both Iraq and Libya.

Anti-aircraft and anti-missile missiles[]

Sea Ceptor[]

The Sea Ceptor missile is currently being integrated onto the Type 23 frigate fleet, as a replacement to the Sea Wolf missile. It has a range of <1 – 25+ km and is capable of reaching mach 3. Sea Ceptor will also equip the future Type 26 frigate and Type 31 frigate as well as the Type 45 destroyer. MBDA claim that CAMM has a "wide target set", including the capability to engage small naval vessels, which would give the missile a limited surface-to-surface role. A Royal Navy officer of the Type 23 frigate HMS Westminster stated: "Westminster managed to explore the real potential of the system during her training and to say it is a real game changer is an understatement. Unlike its predecessor, the system is capable of defending ships other than Westminster herself. Whether it’s engaging multiple air threats or fast incoming attack craft, Sea Ceptor represents a massive capability upgrade for the Type 23 frigate."^[12]

Sea Viper[]

The Sea Viper is the main weapon of the Type 45 destroyers and provides all-round defence for an entire naval task group against all aerial threats at some 70 mi (110 km) away. It races towards its target at speeds in excess of mach 4 (over 3,000 mph, 4,800 km/h) using a series of tiny jets to manoeuvre, carrying out sharp turns.

The Principle Anti-Air Missile System on the Type 45 destroyers, of which Sea Viper is a principal component, comprises the SAMPSON radar, a Combat Management System, S1850M long-range radar, the Sylver vertical launching system and Aster 15 (20 mi, 32 km) and Aster 30 (75 mi, 121 km) missiles, it is these Aster missiles which hold the name Sea Viper.^[13]

Anti-ship missiles[]

Harpoon[]

The Harpoon anti-ship missile is fitted to all Type 23 frigates and three Type 45 destroyers in a 2×4 canister configuration. Another two destroyers are fitted for but not with the missiles. The missile is a capable of striking at targets more than 80 miles (130 km) away and is also used by many other NATO navies.^[14] The Harpoon was due to go out of service by the end of 2018. However, this has subsequently been revised to at least 2023.^[15] As of August 2021, it was reported that, given the age of the Harpoon system, only two Royal Navy destroyers or frigates were carrying a full complement of 8 Harpoon missiles per ship. These were the frigates HMS Kent and HMS Montrose.^[16]

Martlet[]

The Martlet is a lightweight air-to-surface and surface-to-surface missile under development by Thales Air Defence for the United Kingdom. As of 2021, Martlet is entering service on the Fleet Air Arm's AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat in the air-to-surface mode.

The Martlet has also been tested in the surface-to-surface mode on the Type 23 frigate, using a launcher mounted on the side of the 30 mm cannon, as a relatively inexpensive missile to use against small craft and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Sea Venom[]

The Sea Venom is a helicopter-launched lightweight anti-ship missile developed by MBDA to replace the Sea Skua. It will be fitted to the Fleet Air Arm's Wildcat HMA2 helicopters from 2022. The missile weighs 110 kg (240 lb) and has a warhead of 30 kg (66 lb). It is optimized to attack fast inshore attack craft (FIAC), however it can also damage targets up to corvette size.^[17]

Land attack missiles[]

Tomahawk missile[]

The Tomahawk missile, also known as TLAM (Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missile), allows the Navy's submarines to strike at targets on land accurately. The missile has been in use with the RN since the late 1990s and has been used in the Kosovo conflict and in the campaigns in the War in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is fired from a boat's torpedo tubes. Once it reaches the surface, a booster rocket ignites to propel the missile skywards. The Tomahawk then heads for its target at 550 mph (890 km/h), delivering a 1,000 lb (450 kg) explosive warhead.

The Tomahawk IV is the latest version of the missile. It has a longer range than its predecessors and can be directed at a new target in-flight, and can also beam back images of the battlefield. In British service it is fitted to all Trafalgar and Astute-class submarines.^[18] It is currently planned to be phased out of service in the United States Navy, with no more weapons to be produced after 2015, meaning that it may no longer be an option for the Royal Navy from around the end of the decade.^[19] The UK last bought 65 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles in July 2014.^[20]

Trident II D5 ballistic missile[]

The Trident nuclear missile is Britain's nuclear deterrent. Carried only by the four Vanguard-class submarines, it is ejected from their silos by high-pressure gas before the rockets fire when the missile reaches the surface. At its fastest, the missile travels at over 13,000 mph (21,000 km/h). Each Vanguard boat has 16 missile tubes, and each missile has the ability to deliver 8 warheads. Each individual warhead is about eight times more powerful than the nuclear bomb used at Hiroshima in World War II.^[21]

See also[]

• List of active Royal Navy ships
• List of Royal Navy equipment

References[]

External links[]

• Royal Navy (royalnavy.mod.uk)
• Royal Navy — The Equipment — Ships (royalnavy.mod.uk)