Sea Dart

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Sea Dart
Sea Dart drill missiles on HMS Edinburgh in 2012
Type	Surface-to-air, surface-to-surface
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1973–2012
Used by	See § Operators
Wars	Falklands War Gulf 1991
Production history
Designer	Hawker Siddeley Dynamics
Designed	1963
Manufacturer	Hawker Siddeley Dynamics (1963–1977) BAe Dynamics (1977–1999) MBDA UK (since 1999)
Produced	1970-2012
No. built	2,000+
Specifications
Mass	550 kg (1,210 lb)
Length	4.4 m (14 ft)
Diameter	0.42 m (17 in)
Wingspan	0.9 m (3.0 ft)
Warhead	11 kg (24 lb) HE blast-fragmentation
Detonation mechanism	Proximity fuze and contact
Engine	Chow solid-fuel booster motor Bristol Siddeley Odin ramjet cruise motor
Operational range	Mod 0 (basic): 40 nmi (46 mi; 74 km) Mod 2 (upgrade): 80 nmi (92 mi; 150 km)
Flight ceiling	18,300 m (60,000 ft)[1][verification needed]
Maximum speed	Mach 3.0+[2][verification needed]
Guidance system	Semi-active radar illuminated by radar Type 909 (J-band)
Steering system	Control surfaces
Launch platform	Ship

Sea Dart, or GWS.30^[a] was a Royal Navy surface-to-air missile system designed in the 1960s and entering service in 1973. It was fitted to the Type 42 destroyers (United Kingdom and Argentina), Type 82 destroyer and Invincible-class aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy. Originally developed by Hawker Siddeley, the missile was built by British Aerospace after 1977. It was withdrawn from service in 2012.

Britain's first naval surface-to-air missile was GWS1 Seaslug, which entered service in 1963. This used beam riding guidance which offered limited accuracy and was useful only against slower targets. The need for a higher performance system was seen even as it entered service.

Bristol Aerospace, which had recently introduced the ramjet-powered Bloodhound missile for the RAF, won the ensuing competition with another ramjet design. Compared to Seaslug, Sea Dart was faster, had much greater range, and its semi-active radar homing guidance was much more accurate and allowed attacks against supersonic targets.

The system had nine confirmed successful engagements in combat, including six aircraft, a helicopter and two anti-ship missiles. An additional helicopter was shot down in a 'friendly fire' incident during the Falklands War.

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