Marte ER

Italian lightweight anti-ship missile family produced by MBDA Italia, sized for helicopter and light-aircraft carriage as well as small surface combatants. The extended-range Marte ER variant adds a turbojet for standoff engagement, equipping Italian Navy AW101 and NH90 helicopters.

In service since 2020 · 4 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

100

km range

0.85

Mach

kg warhead

Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Italian export-licensed

UAMA authorisation; standard EU/Wassenaar controls.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Established · 4 operators

In service since 2020. Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed (Mach) Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.: 0.85 Mach

Stronger than 24% of missiles
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 100 km

Stronger than 36% of missiles

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Warhead Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.: 70 kg

Stronger than 37% of missiles
Warhead type Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable.: Semi-armor-piercing blast-fragmentation
Guidance How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.: Active radar homing, GPS/INS mid-course update

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 4.7 m
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 300 kg

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Turbojet with solid rocket booster

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 4

Stronger than 47% of missiles

Specifications compiled from public MBDA and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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