F-35B Completes First Flight Test with MBDA SPEAR 3 Mini Cruise Missile

The UK’s F-35B fleet has conducted its first flight test with the MBDA-produced SPEAR 3 mini cruise missile after a four-year delay. It is anticipated that each F-35B will be able to carry eight SPEAR 3 missiles following full integration.

According to a report by Breaking Defense, the test shot was conducted by a Royal Navy test pilot at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland. Four SPEAR 3 units were used during the test. Published statements indicated that the first flight was actually conducted with a four-year delay compared to the original schedule, with technical issues cited as one of the reasons for the delay.

SPEAR 3: small body, wide target range

Developed by the European multinational missile manufacturer MBDA, SPEAR 3 (Selective Precision Effects At Range — Capability 3) is positioned as a mini cruise missile with a range of approximately 100 km and a precision guidance package, offering high low observability. Its target range includes air defense systems, ships, tanks, and fast-moving vehicles. With multi-sensor guidance and data link capabilities, it is expected to be effective even against moving targets.

According to the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), once full integration is completed, each F-35B will be able to carry up to eight SPEAR 3 missiles through a combination of internal and external stations. This configuration will provide the fifth-generation fighter with the ability to conduct “salvo” based suppression of air defense areas.

Strategic significance for the UK

Referring to a statement made by UK Defense Minister Luke Pollard in April 2026, the operational delivery target for SPEAR 3 has been set for the fiscal year 2028–2029. This timeline stands out as the date when the deep strike capability of the F-35B fleet, stationed on HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carriers, is expected to materialize.

MBDA’s role in the program, when evaluated alongside the test shot conducted in 2024 in Sweden in collaboration with BAE Systems from the Eurofighter Typhoon platform, indicates that SPEAR 3 is on its way to becoming one of the inter-platform common payload standards in British aviation.

Comparative framework for Turkey

In terms of the Turkish defense industry, SPEAR 3 can be viewed as a system that does not have a direct equivalent but shares the same operational mission range with SOM-J, Çakır, and the developing KARA ATMACA family. The ongoing work by Roketsan and TÜBİTAK-SAGE in the small-scale cruise missile family suggests that, considering KAAN’s internal station compatibility, a similar “small body-long range” equation will also be adapted to the Turkish concept in the medium term.

Next steps

It has been noted that mission systems integration and jettison trials are queued within the program. With the system to be jointly used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, it is expected that the F-35B platform will achieve an advanced precision strike envelope beyond the conventional MK 80 series munitions once it reaches full operational capacity.

References

Breaking Defense — “F-35B conducts flight test with British SPEAR mini-cruise missile”, May 2026
F-35 Joint Program Office statements
MBDA — SPEAR Capability 3 product page
UK Ministry of Defence April 2026 statements
Wikipedia — “MBDA SPEAR 3”