A short-range, optically guided anti-aircraft missile to replace the 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun on Royal Navy destroyers and frigates. Seacat was widely deployed in NATO navies.
Mounted in fours on trainable launchers, Seacat is powered by a Sealyham solid rocket motor.
Tigercat is a trailer-mounted mobile missile system for land forces while Hellcat is an anti-ship missile version that was cancelled at an early stage.Seacat was based on the Shorts Green Light test vehicle that was a development of the Australian Malkara anti-tank missile. This grew out of the requirement for a SAM smaller than Seaslug that could be fitted to small warships such as frigates and was being developed under the codename Orange Nell.
Orange Nell was cancelled in 1957.
GWS-21 was deployed on Tribal Class ships, GWS-22 on County and Leander Class ships and GWS-24 deployed on Amazon Class.
The Seacat pictured is on display at the Royal Netherlands Navy Museum at Den Helder.
Return to