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Sea Wolf (missile)

BAe / MBDA · Surface-to-Air · UK · Cold War (1970–1991)

Sea Wolf (missile) — Surface-to-Air
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Sea Wolf is a naval surface-to-air missile system designed and built by BAC, later to become British Aerospace (BAe) Dynamics, and now MBDA. It is an automated point-defence weapon system designed as a short-range defence against both sea-skimming and high angle anti-ship missiles and aircraft. The Royal Navy has fielded two versions, the GWS-25 Conventionally Launched Sea Wolf (CLSW) and the GWS-26 Vertically Launched Sea Wolf (VLSW) forms. In Royal Navy service Sea Wolf has been replaced by Sea Ceptor.

Specifications

Category
Missiles
Sub-Category
SAM
Domain
Defence
Era
Cold War (1970–1991)
Country
UK
Manufacturer
BAe / MBDA
Operator
UK/Brazil/Chile/Malaysia/New Zealand
Primary Role
Surface-to-Air
Status
Retired
Service Entry
1979
Produced
2000
Unit Cost (2026$)
$600K
Propulsion
Rocket
Engine
IMI solid-fuel rocket
Thrust / Power
None (rocket)
Launch
Sea-launched
Length (ft)
6.5
Wingspan (ft)
1.8
Empty Weight (lb)
86
MTOW (lb)
180
Payload (lb)
30
Service Ceiling (ft)
15000
Range (mi)
6
Max Speed (mph)
1534
Max Speed (Mach)
2
Armament
Blast-fragmentation