MBDA SPEAR Completes First F-35B Flight

The MBDA SPEAR mounted in the internal weapons bay of the U.S. Marine Corps F-35B aircraft | Photo: Lockheed Martin

MBDA announced the first flight of the SPEAR air-to-surface missile on a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B test aircraft earlier this year, moving it closer to integration onto the United Kingdom’s F-35B fleet.

The flight was conducted from Naval Air Station Patuxent River in the United States as part of the continuing development and integration programme for the missile. Participation in the activity was carried out by representatives from the F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF), MBDA, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, the UK Ministry of Defence, locally deployed Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel, and the U.S. Government.

Prior to the flight, approval for flight operations was obtained and four SPEAR missiles were loaded into the aircraft’s internal weapons bay. The loading process was performed by an integrated team consisting of ITF personnel and Royal Navy and Royal Air Force weapons technicians, with support provided by representatives from MBDA and Lockheed Martin.

The aircraft was flown by a Royal Navy F-35B test pilot from the UK’s Air & Space Warfare Centre.

Data collected during the flight will now be examined as part of the next phase of programme activity. Further testing is planned and preparations are being made for mission systems integration work and jettison trials, which have been identified as the next stages in the programme.

SPEAR has been developed as a long-range air-to-surface missile for the UK and has been intended to provide stand-off strike capability for suppression of enemy air defence missions. The missile has been designed for use in complex operating environments and for engagement against moving targets while operating in the presence of countermeasures.

The first F-35B flight has followed earlier programme activity conducted in late 2024, when guided firings of SPEAR were carried out from the Eurofighter Typhoon platform. Those firings were conducted as part of efforts aimed at advancing development and programme maturity.

SPEAR family of weapons | Image: MBDA

Future integration work involving the missile family has also been discussed beyond the UK F-35 programme. During Seoul ADEX 2025, a memorandum of understanding was signed by Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) and MBDA regarding the integration of the SPEAR air-to-ground missile onto the KF-21 Boramae fighter aircraft.

Additional variants within the SPEAR family have also been developed, including the SPEAR-EW electronic warfare version and the SPEAR Glide variant intended for higher-rate production requirements.