Shorts: Seacat Guided Weapon System

The Seacat missile was designed to defend surface ships against air attack. Developed in response to a Royal Navy requirement to replace the 40mm gun, the missile had its first sea-trials in 1960. Since that time it has seen widespread service in seventeen of the world’s navies and many variants have been developed. In the original version the target was first detected by the ship’s radar. Its co-ordinates were passed to a control officer who indicated to another operator — the aimer — the direction of attack. The aimer picked up the target in a pair of mounted binoculars and the missile was fired. Following the missle visually, the aimer used a thumb-operated joystick to guide missiles by radio signals. Changes in direction were effected by an electro-hydraulic servo mechanism. Collectively, these elements are known as an engagement or fire-control system.