Umkhonto (missile)

The Umkhonto, whose name is the Nguni word for spear, is a family of vertically launched surface-to-air missiles developed by Denel Dynamics. It is designed as a modern short to medium-range missile with an all-weather launch capability, operating at supersonic speed and using infrared homing to provide point and limited local air defence against multiple attacks by aircraft and missiles. Denel developed it first to give the four Valour-class frigates of the South African Navy an anti-air capability, and the first successful naval launch came in 2005 from SAS Amatola. The South African Army also invested in the project as part of a programme to replace the retired Cactus ground-based air defence system. The missile has had notable export success and is operated by Finnish and Algerian naval forces. It comes in three variants: Umkhonto-IR, Umkhonto-ER-IR and the radar homing Umkhonto-R.