Wildcat helicopter boosts firepower with successful Sea Venom ...

The Royal Navy is enhancing the firepower of its Wildcat maritime attack helicopters after successfully launching a new missile designed to take out larger enemy warships as well as smaller craft.

The Wildcat HMA Mk2 already packs a punch, able to fire Sting Ray torpedoes at underwater threats and lightweight Martlet missiles at smaller targets.

But until now it hasn't had a way to target larger ships like corvettes.

That has now changed with the first guided firing of the Sea Venom missile at a practice target at the MOD Aberporth range in Wales.

This missile is a significant upgrade, offering 10 times the firepower of the Martlet and specifically designed to tackle more heavily armoured vessels.

Lieutenant Commander Robin Kenchington from 744 Naval Air Squadron, the Navy's test and evaluation unit, said: "It was fantastic to see a full end-to-end demonstration of the missile.

"Every aspect of the firing worked well – from the ease-of-use in-cockpit for crews, through the performance of the missile in flight, right up to the accuracy on the target.

"The Wildcat has another potent addition to its arsenal, increasing the ability of frontline crews to fight from a greater stand-off distance – this maximises their lethality whilst keeping them safe from enemy defences."

The target vessel used during the test was built by QinetiQ, a multinational defence technology company with its headquarters in Farnborough in Hampshire.

It was crafted from three containers on a barge, equipped with heating elements to closely simulate a real target.

The successful firing marks an important milestone for integrating Sea Venom into the Wildcat, adding more firepower to protect Royal Navy warships, including the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

Pete Fawcett, the senior responsible owner of the Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon programme, said: "This first guided firing is a significant step forward for the integration of Sea Venom onto the Royal Navy's Wildcat helicopters.

"The success of the trial was the result of an outstanding team effort across Leonardo UK, MBDA, QinetiQ and the Ministry of Defence."

Based at Yeovilton, the Wildcat Maritime Force consists of around 400 personnel and 28 Wildcats across two squadrons.

815 Naval Air Squadron handles operational tasks for Royal Navy ships globally, while 825 Naval Air Squadron focuses on training and maximising the helicopter’s potential.

Since entering service in 2015, Wildcats have been given notable upgrades.

They can now carry torpedoes and missiles, and they're also equipped with a .50 calibre machine gun for added firepower.

Royal Marines sniper teams can even operate from them to take down drug smuggling speedboats from a distance.

Sea Venom is the latest addition to the Wildcat's arsenal, replacing the Sea Skua, which was retired in 2017.

This modern anti-ship missile can engage targets from safe distances of up to 20km and has a 30kg warhead.

Sea Venom can be fired in salvos. It's a big leap in technology for the Wildcat, featuring a two-way data link that allows the operator to control the missile during flight.

This means they can re-target, correct the final aim, or safely abort the mission if needed.