The second ship fitted with Sea Ceptor has also conducted a successful firing to verify the weapon system upgrade.

The new missile defence system will provide UK personnel with a powerful shield against airborne targets – including hostile combat jets and helicopters, as well enemy missiles travelling at supersonic speeds.

The completion of the firing trials from Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll means Sea Ceptor can proceed to the next stage of the acceptance into service with the Royal Navy.

Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said:

In the face of intensifying global threats, cutting-edge systems like Sea Ceptor will keep the UK safe. These successful trials from HMS Argyll mark a major milestone towards the introduction of this world-class missile system into service for the Royal Navy.

Work to develop and install Sea Ceptor across the Royal Navy is also boosting British industry, supporting 600 jobs in the Bristol, Stevenage and Bolton areas.

The first firings of Sea Ceptor were conducted from HMS Argyll at the Hebrides range off the coast of Scotland and involved firing the system to assess its performance against a range of scenarios.

Two sets of trials were conducted by Defence, Equipment and Support (DE&S) and supported by a number of other organisations, lasting around two weeks each.

During the firings the system was first tested against single aerial targets. This was followed by more demanding tests, including a single target engaged by two missiles and a twin firing (two targets, each engaged by a single missile at the same time).

An installation test firing from HMS Westminster – the second ship fitted with Sea Ceptor – took place in November, with each of the Type 23 ships due to carry out installation test firings in due course.

Lieutenant Nick Andrews, HMS Westminster’s Anti-Air-Warfare Officer, said:

HMS Westminster managed to explore the real potential of the system during her training and to say it is a real game changer is an understatement. Unlike its predecessor, the system is capable of defending ships other than Westminster herself. Whether it’s engaging multiple air threats or fast incoming attack craft, Sea Ceptor represents a massive capability upgrade for the Type 23 frigate.

Designed and manufactured by MBDA in the UK, Sea Ceptor is being fitted to replace the Sea Wolf weapon system on the Type 23 frigates and will provide the same capability for the Royal Navy’s future Type 26 Frigates.

Sea Ceptor defends escort vessels within a maritime task group, such as for the new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, and with HMS Argyll due to deploy to Japan next year, the trials successfully showcased the short range capabilities of the new defence system. Another Type 23, HMS Sutherland, is due to deploy to Australia in the New Year.

The system uses a new UK-developed missile, the Common Anti-air Modular Missile or CAMM, that is capable of reaching speeds of up to three times the speed of sound, and will have the ability to deal with multiple targets simultaneously, protecting an area of around 500 square miles (1,300 square kilometres) over land or sea.

Sea Ceptor supports around 600 MBDA jobs and its supply chain in key locations across the UK such as Bristol, Stevenage and Bolton.

Richard Smart, Director Weapons, for the MOD’s procurement organisation Defence Equipment and Support, which is based at MOD Abbey Wood in Bristol, said:

These trials are a significant step in getting the Sea Ceptor weapon system to acceptance and a great example of how important live trials are in helping us to understand a new military capability before using it in operational service. The success of the trials is testimony to the hard work put in by the DE&S project team and the working relationship they have with industry.

The results of the firings are now going through extensive analysis; our assessment so far is positive and shows how Sea Ceptor is capable of protecting both the ship which fired it and other ships in its task group, which could include the UK’s two new Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carriers.

The update is primarily focused on: considering the wider economic, international and security implications of defence programmes at an earlier stage, creating the conditions for the industry to be internationally competitive, innovative and secure, as well as continuing to make it easier to do business with defence, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

As UK industry’s single largest customer, spending £18.7bn of the rising defence budget with British companies last year and directly supporting over 121,000 jobs right across the country, the Defence Secretary outlined the importance of the partnership to both the industry and the security of the country in light of the refresh.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

As Britain faces intensifying threats, it is crucial that our brave Armed Forces personnel have the warships, jets and missiles they need to defend the country.

British businesses play a vital role in equipping our troops with the tools they need to keep us safe.

We are British industry’s biggest customer and we are committed to exporters and small and medium sized businesses to ensure they and our military remains the envy of the world.

The Policy is based on three key-strands. The first focuses on improving the way defence delivers wider economic and international value, as well as national security objectives. To kick-start this, the department will pilot a new approach to analyse potential ways of delivering these benefits, setting evidence-based objectives for higher-value business cases.

The second strand aims to help UK industry to be internationally competitive, innovative and secure. The MOD continually bangs the drum for Britain’s world-leading industry around the world, with the Defence Secretary in Qatar earlier this month to agree the biggest export deal for the Typhoon aircraft of the decade, worth around £6bn. Prior to that deal, the UK won defence orders worth £5.9bn last year, equating to a 9% share of the global export market.

The National Shipbuilding Strategy launched earlier this year also focused heavily on export potential, with the new Type 31e class of frigate set to be designed to not only meet the needs of the Royal Navy, but also for the export market in mind right from the beginning. As part of those plans, the Government committed to working closely with industry to provide the certainty and support the need to become internationally competitive, and that early focus on exports will trail blaze the way for other big defence projects following the refresh.

For the first time the department is introducing a framework for standardised intellectual property arrangements for contracts co-funded by the MOD and industry, which were previously dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The department has been consulting with industry on new contract conditions allowing for more open support contracts to competition.

And that also relates to the third stand of the policy: making it easier for companies to do business with defence. This is particularly aimed at innovators, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and non-traditional defence suppliers.

The MOD has already made strides in this area, which has seen the department’s direct spend with smaller businesses increase by over 10%. The MOD has launched a Supplier Portal, bringing together for the first time a range of useful information for new and prospective suppliers in one place.

A new Twitter channel, @defenceproc, is also being used to provide regular updates to suppliers on opportunities and events that the MOD is supporting, whilst the department also launched two simplified, plain English short-form contracts for use in lower value less complex procurements last year, reducing the existing baseline terms and conditions from 18 pages to three.

An appropriate venue for the launch, the UK Defence Solutions Centre is making it easier for British firms of all sizes to do international business, boosting their exports, the national prosperity and global security. An innovation showcase at the event saw various businesses exhibit their defence solutions, including:

• Social Network Analysis, Counting Labs: Real time, rapid response software system to inform automatically about emergency events from social media by automatically assessing the veracity of associated rumours.

• Ultra-lightweight optics, Glyndwr: Low size, weight and power optics for high altitude pseudo satellite and small satellite applications.

• Infrared Solutions, Amethyst: High performance infrared detectors for the stand-off detection of explosives and chemical agents.

• Oxbotica: Autonomous vehicle technology for last mile resupply.

The Industrial Policy refresh follows a commitment made in the Strategic Defence and Security Review of 2015 and is closely allied with the Government’s wider Industrial Strategy which was launched last month. That strategy sets out a long term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK.

ADS Chief Executive Paul Everitt said:

The UK’s defence industry makes a vital contribution to both our national security and our economic prosperity. The industrial policy refresh set out by the Defence Secretary today makes positive steps that can develop and strengthen the important partnership between government and the industry.

Defence companies across the UK will welcome the Government’s commitment to earlier consideration of the economic impact of defence programmes, support for UK defence exports and innovation, and measures to make it easier for small companies to access defence contracts.

Defence Growth Partnership Co-Chair Allan Cook said:

I am delighted the Secretary of State for Defence has chosen to launch the Government’s defence industrial policy refresh at the UK Defence Solutions Centre (DSC). He has seen how the DSC is helping to facilitate innovation and develop new capabilities for the defence industry in the UK, and for our international partners.

The Defence Growth Partnership (DGP) has made tremendous progress since its launch and we are looking forward to continuing to work more closely with our colleagues at the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and the Department for International Trade to support UK prosperity and our national security.