Article Posted on : - Mar 25, 2014

Marte Coastal Defence System. Photo: MBDA.

DOHA, QATAR (BNS): MBDA has developed a new coastal defence system based on the Marte missile family. The system will be unveiled on Tuesday during the first-day of DIMDEX 2014 exhibition in Doha, Qatar.

This Marte Coastal Defence System (MCDS), guarantees maritime coastal traffic surveillance and interdiction to hostile ships in territorial waters, according to a news release by the company.

The system is capable of monitoring and picturing sea communication lines; detecting and identifying hostile vessels through the use of active surveillance equipment; receiving target data via data-link; and neutralising hostile vessels by using a new generation of anti-ship missiles.

The MCDS is available with different and flexible configurations depending on customer requirements. This system can operate in either a stand-alone mode or integrated within an existing surveillance radar network.

The company also offers two different missile options for MCDS; the Marte MK2/N for the control of brown waters and Marte ER, for the control of a more expansive sea area.

The system configuration consists of: a Command and Control (C2) module, comprising an ISO standard 12 foot shelter that can be connected via data-link with the upper level surveillance system; a launcher module, comprising up to four firing units that can be mounted on ISO standard trucks. Each launcher can deploy up to four missiles; and finally a logistics module, comprising a logistic and support vehicle, plus a variable number of reloading vehicles, the release added.

The all-weather Marte MK2 is a fire-and-forget, medium-range, sea-skimming anti-ship weapon system. It is equipped with mid-course inertial and radar-based terminal guidance and is capable of destroying small craft and seriously damaging larger vessels.

The missile weighs 310 kg and is 3.85 metres long. The Marte MK-2/S, where "S" stands for "Short" and indicates shorter munitions in order to enable simpler on board integration, has already been integrated on AW101 and NH-90 NFH helicopters (Naval/Nato Frigate Helicopter) in service with the Italian Navy.

Later, in response to the growing interest for a lightweight, rapid-response surface-to-surface naval missile system for littoral operations, Marte MK2/N was developed.

The new version of the missile, called Marte ER (Extended Range), keeps the basic characteristics of the Marte family, but extends its range. The new product comprises of turbojet propulsion and the new ISO-calibre cylinder cell.

The missile, equipped with these new important components, still preserves a series of elements that were already present in previous versions of the Marte missile, providing a number of significant commonalities.