SPEAR / SPEAR3

A compact British air-launched cruise missile intended for stand-off strikes against land and maritime targets.

Overview

SPEAR Capability 3, generally called SPEAR or SPEAR3, is an MBDA missile designed to give British F-35B aircraft a small, powered stand-off weapon. It has a turbojet, a multisensor seeker and a data link. MBDA says its compact size permits several missiles per aircraft, allowing one sortie to engage more than one target. MBDA reported that low-rate manufacture began in 2026 and first operational missiles are due for delivery in early 2027.

Delivery does not equal fielding. In an April 2026 parliamentary answer, the UK Ministry of Defence said it targeted fielding within the F-35 joint program from financial year 2028-29. The program's review note was still under consideration when that answer was given. SPEAR had flown in an F-35B bay by then, but that flight gathered integration data; it was not an operational missile firing.

Image - A displayed SPEAR3 missile model. Photo by Bumper12, CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, via Wikimedia Commons.

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