Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the initial operating capability is of the Martlet surface to air missile system.
The declaration of the Martlet Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in October 2021 was made following a review of the project to confirm that the system was suitable for service, supportable, and can be deployed from Royal Navy warships to provide a credible deterrence against small surface targets. The system is currently deployed with the HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group and a successful in-service firing from a Wildcat helicopter on that deployment was made prior to IOC being declared.