Sea Dart

Sea Dart, or GWS.30 was a Royal Navy surface-to-air missile system designed in the 1960s and entering service in 1973. It was fitted to the Type 42 destroyers, the single Type 82 destroyer and the Invincible-class aircraft carriers. Originally developed by Hawker Siddeley, the missile was built by British Aerospace after 1977. It was withdrawn from service in 2012.

Britain's first naval surface-to-air missile was GWS1 Seaslug, which entered service in 1963. This used beam riding guidance which offered limited accuracy and was useful only against slower targets. The need for a higher performance system was seen even as it entered service.

Bristol Aerospace, which had recently introduced the ramjet-powered Bloodhound missile for the RAF, offered a new ramjet powered concept, while British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) proposed a shorter-range rocket powered design. The Admiralty asked for a proposal combining BAC's layout with Bristol's engine, which became Sea Dart. Compared to Seaslug, Sea Dart was faster, had much greater range, and its semi-active radar homing guidance was much more accurate and allowed attacks against supersonic targets. After the Falklands War, further updates dramatically increased its range, reaching 80 miles (130 km).

The system had nine confirmed successful engagements in combat, including six aircraft, a helicopter and an anti-ship missile. This was the first time a missile had shot down another in combat. An additional helicopter was shot down in a 'friendly fire' incident during the Falklands.