PARIS — India agreed to buy multi-role missiles manufactured by Thales in the United Kingdom in a deal worth £350 million ($468 million), the U.K. government said on Thursday.
The LMM, also known as the Martlet, is a lightweight missile that shares some technology with Starstreak, and can be either air- or surface-launched against airborne or surface targets. Both missiles are manufactured by Thales at its site in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Thales says the LMM weighs 13 kilograms with an operational range of more than 6 kilometers, traveling at more than 1.5 times the speed of sound. That compares to a speed of more than Mach 3 for Starstreak, which delivers a payload of three high-velocity darts.
The contract to deliver the LMM to the Indian Army will secure more than 700 jobs in Northern Ireland, according to the government.
The helicopter-launched missile complements the existing Martlet missile system, with the Sea Venom missile having enough destructive power to take out large warships including corvettes and patrol vessels, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defence.