Missile Sea Eagle

Development of the Sea Eagle followed studies conducted between 1973 and 1975 to replace television-guided missile systems. These studies established requirements for a replacement weapon with a jet engine and an active radar seeker. Design work commenced in 1976, and full-scale development was initiated in 1979. Production began in 1982, with the missile entering service in 1985.

The Sea Eagle is a medium-weight, sea-skimming anti-ship missile. It is designed to sink or disable vessels up to the size of aircraft carriers while operating in environments with jamming and decoys. It utilizes a paraffin-fueled turbojet engine for propulsion and maintains subsonic speeds during flight. The missile is autonomous once launched, using an on-board computer to manage flight and target seeking. Guidance is provided by an inertial system and a J-band active radar seeker for terminal homing. A C-band radar altimeter enables low-altitude flight to delay detection by target vessels. The computer system supports programmable flight profiles, including "dog leg" routes to allow a salvo of missiles to arrive from different directions. The missile carries a semi-armour-piercing warhead housed in a metal alloy casing. The design relies on the warhead's charge-to-weight ratio and residual turbojet fuel to inflict damage. Proposed variants included a land-attack version with an imaging infrared or millimetre wave radar seeker.

The missile has been operated by the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and India. Initial service was with the Royal Air Force on the Blackburn Buccaneer, followed by the Royal Navy's Sea Harrier and the Tornado GR1B. The Royal Saudi Air Force equipped its Tornado fleet with the system. The Indian Navy and Air Force deployed the missile on Sea Harrier, Jaguar IM, and Ilyushin Il-38 aircraft, as well as Sea King Mk.42B helicopters. Helicopter and maritime patrol versions utilize two solid-fuel booster rockets for launch. A surface-launched variant was tested but not adopted. The United Kingdom withdrew the Sea Eagle from service in 2000.