Thales UK and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) have agreed to ‘re-role’ previously contracted budgets for the production of lightweight multirole missile (LMM) into service for UK armed forces.

The contract was signed under the principles of team complex weapons (TCW), which includes design, development and production of an initial delivery quantity of 1,000 missiles.

LMM is the first lightweight weapon family to be designed to have a wide range of operational roles and can be used in ground-to-ground and air-launched roles.

The weapon will be integrated as the future anti-surface guided weapon light FASGW (L) missile on the Royal Navy’s new Wildcat Lynx helicopter platform.

Production for the LMMs is due to start in 2012, with initial delivery expected in 2013 and an in-service date of 2015.