Army fires new missile that can hit a tennis ball travelling at twice the speed of sound

British soldiers have carried out the first test-firing in the UK of the Army's new Land Ceptor missile system – an important part of the nation's air defences.

When the vehicle appeared at the MOD's training ranges in the Outer Hebrides, it looked like an ordinary Army lorry trundling through the stark, yet beautiful landscape.

But in fact it was the launch platform for Land Ceptor - a surface-to-air missile system similar to the Sea Ceptor that's used by the Royal Navy's frigates.

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Blowing cold, not hot

When setting up the system, the first task is to lower the hydraulic stabilising arms, after which the Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles (CAMM) can then be loaded.

The Land Ceptor launcher can carry eight CAMMs at any one time.

They're cold-launch missiles. That means the missile is expelled from its launch container by a gas generator and ignites its own rocket engine after clearing the container.

This is in contrast to a hot launch where the engine ignites inside the container.

A cold launch puts less stress on the missile launching container and means it can be reloaded more quickly because it stays cool.

It also saves all the missile's own propulsion power for going after the target.

Another benefit of a cold launch is the fact that it reduces the chance of a missile malfunction causing lots of damage.

That's because there's little risk of the missile being stuck in the launcher with a burning rocket motor, which could damage the launcher and its other missiles.

Giraffes and Sabres

The Land Ceptor can used on its own, but it's part of a wider system called Sky Sabre.

Sky Sabre comprises of three separate components.

:: The Agile Multi-Beam surveillance radar – affectionally referred to as the Giraffe

:: The Battle Management Command & Control Communications centre

:: The Land Ceptor missile delivery vehicle

While all can be deployed together, on the battlefield, they could be expected to operate up to 15km apart.

Accuracy and range

The radar, built by Swedish company Saab, can simultaneously control the flight of 24 missiles – which would mean three Land Ceptor launchers being utilised.

When operating as part of Sky Sabre, the missiles are really accurate, being able to hit a target the size of a tennis ball travelling at twice the speed of sound.

In practice, this means the system has the ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously and can take out aircraft, drones and even laser-guided bombs at a range of 120km.

Land Ceptor has replaced the outdated Rapier missile system, which had been in service for nearly five decades.

The UK has just confirmed the purchase of six more Land Ceptor units.