Sea Skua The Sea Skua is a British lightweight short - range air - to - surface missile ( ASM ) designed for use from helicopter s against ships . It is primarily used by the Royal Navy on the Westland Lynx helicopter , although Kuwait uses it in a shore battery and on their " Umm Al Maradem " ( Combattante BR - 42 ) fast attack craft . The British Aircraft Corporation ( BAC ) began development of the new weapon in May 1972 . The British Government authorised its production in October 1975 . At the time , the missile was known as CL 834 . In November 1979 the first launches took place at the Aberporth Range in Cardigan Bay . Three missiles were launched from the ground and three by helicopters . Further tests were made and in July 1981 , full - scale production was ordered of the new missile , now called " Sea Skua " . Design . With the missile weighing only at launch , a Lynx helicopter can carry up to four ( two on each wing pylon ) . The booster is a Royal Ordnance ( now Roxel UK ) " Redstart " steel body , while the sustainer is a Royal Ordnance " Matapan " light alloy body . The missile flies at high subsonic speed to a range of up to . The official range is declared to be 15 km , but this is widely exceeded . The missile has two sensors : a semi - active radar homing system by Marconi Defence Systems , and a Thomson - TRT AHV - 7 radar altimeter ( which is also used by the Exocet missile ) , built under licence by British Aerospace Defence Systems . It can be set to travel at one of four pre - selected heights , depending on the surface conditions . Near the target , the missile climbs to a height at which it can " acquire " the target . The launching helicopter illuminates the target with its radar ( originally the specially developed Ferranti Seaspray in the case of the Lynx ) , and the missile ' s homing head homes in on the reflected energy . On impact it penetrates the hull of a ship before detonating the blast fragmentation warhead . The semi armour piercing ( SAP ) warhead has of RDX , aluminium and wax . The fuze is an impact - delayed model . The illuminating radar aboard Lynx helicopters is the GEC - Ferranti Seaspray I band , which weighs , a power of 90 kW , two modes ( three in the improved model ) and a 90° observation field . The Seaspray Mk . 3 had a rotating antenna with a 360° field of view . It is capable of operating in a track while scan ( TWS ) mode . The missile flight ends after 75 – 125 seconds , while the helicopter is capable of manoeuvering at up to 80° from the missile path . Service . In addition to serving with the United Kingdom , the Sea Skua has been exported to Germany ( where it will be replaced from 2012 onwards ) , India , Kuwait , and Turkey . It was generally preferred to the similar rival , the French - built AS 15 TT , even though they had almost the same performance . The guidance of AS - 15TT was radio - command , and it required the Agrion 15 radar , unlike the more flexible British missile . Sea Skua ' s success in active service and its adoption by the Royal Navy resulted in considerable success in the international market . Falklands War . Sea Skuas were launched eight times during the Falklands War , sometimes in appalling weather conditions , scoring a very high hit rate . Four were used against the 800 ton patrol boat / rescue tug ARA " Alférez Sobral " , fired by two Lynx helicopters from HMS " Coventry " and HMS " Glasgow " . Two struck the patrol boat on the bridge , one hit the ship ' s fibreglass sea boat , and one passed over the ship . Extensive damage was inflicted and eight crewmen ( including the captain ) were killed , but the ship was not sunk and returned to Puerto Deseado unaided . Another four Sea Skuas were used to destroy the wrecks of the cargo ship Río Carcarañá ( 8 , 500 grt ) and the patrol boat Río Iguazú . First Gulf War . During the Gulf War , six naval Lynx helicopters were deployed to the Gulf on four frigates and destroyers of the Royal Navy . On 24 January 1991 one Lynx engaged and sank two Iraqi minesweepers near Qurah Island . A third was scuttled . A larger engagement took place on 29 January 1991 . A force of seventeen Iraqi landing craft and escorting fast attack craft and minesweepers was detected moving south near Failaka island , as part of the Iraqi attack which resulted in the Battle of Khafji . Two vessels were sunk by Sea Skuas fired by four Lynx helicopters . The remaining vessels were damaged , destroyed or dispersed by American carrier - based aircraft and Royal Navy Sea King helicopters . The next day , another convoy of three Polnocny class landing ship , three TNC - 45 fast attack craft ( taken over by Iraq from the Kuwaiti Navy ) and a single T - 43 minelayer , was detected in the same area . Sea Skuas fired from four Lynx helicopters destroyed the three fast attack craft , and damaged the minesweeper and one landing ship ; the landing ship was later destroyed by RAF Jaguar s . During several engagements in February , Lynxes with Sea Skuas destroyed a Zhuk class patrol boat , a salvage vessel and another Polnocny class landing ship , and damaged another Zhuk patrol boat . Royal Malaysian Navy Service . The Sea Skua entered service with the Royal Malaysian Navy as part of the package for the purchase of six AgustaWestland Sea Lynx 300 helicopters . The missiles supposedly cost RM104 million . On 16 March 2006 the Royal Malaysian Navy test fired the Sea Skua missile as part of a Contractual Firing exercise . The missile was fired eight miles down range from the 40m Surface Target Barge . The Sea Skua failed to hit its target and failed to explode . The fault was believed to have been traced to a faulty connecting pin wire that ignites the rocket motor . The missile fell into the sea , and was not recovered . The Royal Malaysian Navy ordered Matra Bae Dynamics ( MBDA ) to take back the missiles to conduct system checks , and re - tested . On 12 February 2008 , the Royal Malaysian Navy successfully conducted a second firing . The missile was fired from maximum range and hit a surface target .