Sea Eagle ( missile ) The BAe Sea Eagle is a medium weight sea - skimming anti - ship missile designed and built by BAe Dynamics ( now MBDA ) . It is designed to sink or disable ships up to the size of aircraft carrier s in the face of jamming and other countermeasures including decoy s . Its users include the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy , the Royal Saudi Air Force , and the Indian Navy . History . Sea Eagle stems from 1973 to 1975 studies to meet Air Staff Target ( AST ) 1226 and Naval Staff Target ( NST ) 6451 for a successor to the TV - guided AJ . 168 version of the Martel missile . Initially called P3T , the airframe follows the Martel layout , but virtually all components differ , with a longer body , larger wings and totally different internal components . The Marconi ( now SELEX Sistemi Integrati ) active nose radar of Sea Eagle is derived from a British submarine - launched version of Martel dubbed USGW , development of which was abandoned in the mid - 1970s in favour of Sub - Harpoon , and was also intended for Active Martel , which was to be similar to P3T in featuring a jet engine . Design of the P3T began in 1976 , with full scale development initiated in 1979 . Production of the finished production weapon began in 1982 , around the same time that the name Sea Eagle was bestowed , with test firings up to 1984 and service introduction the following year . The RAF Buccaneer was the first aircraft to carry a Sea Eagle in active service . This was followed by the Royal Navy ' s Sea Harrier , as well as the Tornado GR1B in the RAF ( replacing Buccaneers ) and Royal Saudi Air Force . The Indian Navy also equipped its Sea Harrier FRS Mk . 51 and Jaguar IM with the missile , as well as twenty Sea King Mk . 42B helicopters , using a version with two booster rockets either side of the rear fuselage . Indian Ilyushin Il - 38 maritime patrol aircraft are also equipped with the rocket - boosted version of the missile , carried on unusual side - fuselage pylons aft of each wing . It has also been reported that India has sought to equip its Tupolev Tu - 142 fleet with the missile . The Chilean Air Force has trial fitted its A - 36M Halcon ( CASA 101 Aviojet ) with the missile , but it is unclear if this combination entered service . Several variants of the BAe Hawk trainer / light fighter has carried the missile on trials . Design . Sea Eagle is powered by a licence - built , paraffin - fuelled Microturbo TRI 60 turbojet and cruises at speeds of Mach 0 . 85 ( 1 , 040 km / h , 645 mph ) throughout its 110 kilometre ( 68 mile ) plus range . It is capable of being carried at supersonic speeds by its parent aircraft , with launch at speeds of up to Mach 0 . 9 and a wide range of altitudes . Ejector launch , typically from a Type 119 Mk 5 ERU , with a pylon adapter where needed , is used . Once launched the Sea Eagle is completely autonomous , with the flight and target seeking completely controlled by the on - board computer system which functions according to programmable options covering a large set of cruise , search and attack options , including a simple , pre - programmed ' point and shoot ' mode that allows it to be carried by basic aircraft without radar , using targeting information radioed to the pilot from external sources or even visually located by him , with the missile ' s short minimum range assisting this . Other modes integrate with more sophisticated weapon systems and sensors and allow Sea Eagle to be programmed during flight by the parent aircraft using targeting data from the aircraft ' s on board radar sensors or via off - board data - link networks . ' Dog leg ' routes can be programmed into the missile ' s computer to allow a salvo of missiles to arrive from different directions , saturating the target ' s defences . A twin - gyro attitude reference system , digital flight control computer and autopilot are used to give the missile an over - the - horizon capability . A C - band radar altimeter allows the missile to fly at very low level , minimising the range at which a ship can detect it . The J - band active radar target seeker can detect targets up to 30 km away , allowing a mid - course update of target position through a ' pop up ' manoeuvre if required . The main wings are essentially of delta form , arranged in a cruciform configuration . Smaller tails surfaces of similar shape and configuration provide steering . The engine intake is under the fuselage - whilst carried by an aircraft this is covered by an aerodynamic fairing which is blown clear at launch . The missile is fitted with a powerful semi armour piercing warhead , with a high ratio of charge to total weight , encased in a tough metal alloy casing . Residual turbojet fuel adds to the warhead ' s destructive effects on impact with the target . Sea Eagle is stored as a ' round of ammunition ' , with inspection every two years or so , and a life of at least 15 years . When stored the wings and tail surfaces are removed , but the weapon can be kept fully fuelled . Variants . A variant of the missile , called Sea Eagle SL ( also P5T ) , designed to be launched from boxes mounted on ships was tested . It used the same rocket boosters as applied to the helicopter - launched version , but lost out to the American Harpoon missile in a 1984 competition to arm the Royal Navy ' s Type 22 Batch 3 and Type 23 frigates . This version was also intended to have been used in shore - based batteries . The only external difference from the air - launched version was the use of launcher shoes for rail mounting in the launch box , as opposed to the air - launched version ' s ejector lugs . An unbuilt air - launched , land attack version of Sea Eagle , using a similar nose radar and semi - armour piercing warhead , was known as P4T . A later proposed land attack variant which would have had an imaging infrared or millimetre wave radar seeker - head and a data link to allow the launch platform to update the missile in flight was studied around 1990 ; this version was dubbed " Golden Eagle " and would have had a penetrator warhead to allow attacks on land - based hardened targets . A proposed update of Sea Eagle in the mid - 1990s with a dual - band seeker and improved systems was abandoned on cost grounds .