Munitions

Exocet MM38 anti-ship missile

Also known as
  • MM38
  • Exocet MM38
  • MM38 Exocet
  • Mer-Mer 38
  • GWS50

Exocet MM38 is the original French surface-launched Exocet anti-ship missile developed by Nord Aviation and later carried into the MBDA family. It entered service as the ship-launched branch of the Exocet line, and direct Falklands War sourcing records Argentine use of a shore-launched MM38 battery that struck HMS Glamorgan in June 1982.

Exocet MM38 anti-ship missile, Surface-launched anti-ship missile, Munitions
Image source: Exocet MM38.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Role in Conflicts

Falklands Shore Launch

Argentina's 1982 MM38 use was unusual because a missile designed for shipboard launch was adapted into a land-based firing position near Puerto Argentino/Stanley. The compact setup used ship-system components, a fielded launcher, a generator, and radar cueing to threaten British ships conducting naval gunfire support close to shore.

Launcher origin

Argentina.gob.ar says the missiles were removed from ARA Seguí and prepared for a land-launch installation.

Targeting context

The improvised setup relied on adapted fire-control inputs and radar detection rather than a normal ship combat system.

Combat result

USNI and Argentina.gob.ar describe the 12 June strike on HMS Glamorgan as a successful shore-launched Exocet attack.

Sources: Malvinas 44 años: ingenio en el terreno, invento argentino; Legacy of the Exocet; CSIS Exocet Missile Threat.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
France
Type
Surface-launched anti-ship missile
Service note
1975-2001
Unit cost
About $350,000 to $450,000
Produced
1975-2001
Number built
1,270

Specifications

Length
5.21 m
Diameter
0.35 m
Weight
735 kg
Range
38 to 42 km
Guidance
Inertial mid-course guidance with active radar homing terminal guidance
Warhead
165 kg blast-fragmentation
Speed
About Mach 0.9
Launch mode
Surface-launched from warships or coastal defense launchers
Variants

MM38 is the original surface-launched Exocet branch. Later Exocet designations separate the family by launch platform and modernization: AM39 for air launch, SM39 for submarine launch, and MM40 for later sea- and ground-launched missiles.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
AM39 Exocet, Air-launched anti-ship missile, MunitionsAM39 ExocetAir-launched Exocet family member

CSIS identifies AM39 as the air-launched Exocet model, while MBDA describes AM39 as the air-to-sea member of the current Exocet family.

Sources: CSIS Exocet Missile Threat, EXOCET Family

MM40 ExocetImproved sea- and ground-launched successor

CSIS describes MM40 as the improved version of MM38, with later Block 2 and Block 3 modernization steps.

Sources: CSIS Exocet Missile Threat

SM39 ExocetSubmarine-launched Exocet family member

MBDA describes SM39 as the submarine-to-sea Exocet member, and CSIS lists it as the submarine-launched variant.

Sources: EXOCET Family, CSIS Exocet Missile Threat

BC38Coastal-defense MM38 modification

CSIS says coastal-defense modifications of MM38 and MM40 resulted in BC38 and BC40.

Sources: CSIS Exocet Missile Threat

Launch Platforms

MM38 was a surface-launched Exocet used from warships and coastal-defense systems.

LauncherLauncher typeLaunch evidence
Floréal class frigate, Surveillance frigate class, Naval SystemsFloréal class frigateSurveillance frigate

Seaforces lists Floréal-class frigates with two Exocet MM38 surface-to-surface missiles and says the French ships removed them in 2014.

Sources: Floreal class Frigate French Navy Marine Nationale Fregate

D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso, Aviso / light corvette, Naval SystemsD'Estienne d'Orves-class avisoAviso / light corvette

Seaforces lists the D'Estienne d'Orves class with Exocet MM38 missiles in its original armament fit.

Sources: Seaforces: D'Estienne d'Orves class Corvette Aviso French Navy Marine

Timeline

Exocet MM38 anti-ship missile Key Events

  1. HMS Glamorgan hit

    Argentina's improvised shore launcher fired an MM38 during the Falklands War, striking HMS Glamorgan near the end of the campaign.

    Sources: Malvinas 44 años: ingenio en el terreno, invento argentino, Legacy of the Exocet

Media

Exocet MM38 anti-ship missile Images

Exocet MM38 anti-ship missile, Surface-launched anti-ship missile, Munitions - view 1
Source: Exocet MM38 Schnellboot S78.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
Related Weapon Systems
Exocet MM38 anti-ship cruise missile, Ship- and ground-launched anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsExocet MM38 anti-ship cruise missileShip- and ground-launched anti-ship cruise missileThe Exocet MM38 is the original French surface-launched Exocet anti-ship cruise missile, developed by Nord Aviation and fielded from ships before later coastal adaptations. MBDA identifies MM38 as a fire-and-forget, sea-skimming design, while Falklands War sources document Argentine technicians adapting ship-launched MM38 missiles into an improvised shore battery that struck HMS Glamorgan on June 12, 1982.
MdCN / SCALP Naval, Ship- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missile, ArtilleryArtilleryMdCN / SCALP NavalShip- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missileMdCN, also called SCALP Naval or NCM, is MBDA's French naval cruise missile for precision land attack from FREMM frigates and Barracuda/Suffren-class submarines. MBDA describes the weapon as a very-long-range, metric-accuracy deep-strike missile launched either from A70 SYLVER vertical cells or 21-inch submarine torpedo tubes, and French forces used it operationally during the April 2018 U.S., UK, and French strikes in the 2011 Syrian Civil War.

Sources

Our History | MBDAPublisher: MBDA | Note: Supports Exocet MM38 development by Nord Aviation, first operational firing in 1971, and MBDA's statement that MM38 was the first anti-ship missile combining fire-and-forget operation with sea-skimming flight. | Accessed: 2026-07-01MM40 Exocet MM38 AM39 SM39 SM40 SSM anti ship missile MBDAPublisher: seaforces.org | Note: Supports MM38 Exocet surface-launch background, published dimensions, weight, range, warhead, guidance, and the missile's sea-skimming Exocet lineage. | Accessed: 2026-07-01CSIS Exocet Missile ThreatPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports Exocet family variant distinctions, MM38 specifications, and direct 1982 Falklands War use by Argentina, including the HMS Glamorgan strike. | Accessed: 2026-07-01EXOCET FamilyPublisher: MBDA | Note: Supports MBDA's current Exocet family framing across AM39, SM39, MM40, and mobile coastal variants. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Missiles, Falklands War - Naval-History.netPublisher: Naval-History.Net | Note: Direct 1982 Falklands War source for the MM38 land-based battery near Stanley hitting and damaging HMS Glamorgan on 12 June 1982. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Malvinas 44 años: ingenio en el terreno, invento argentinoPublisher: Argentina.gob.ar | Note: Direct 1982 Falklands War source for Argentine adaptation of MM38 missiles from ARA Seguí into a land launcher and the 12 June HMS Glamorgan strike. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Legacy of the ExocetPublisher: U.S. Naval Institute | Note: Direct 1982 Falklands War source distinguishing Argentine AM39 aircraft attacks from the later mobile land-platform adaptation that struck HMS Glamorgan. | Accessed: 2026-07-01MM38 Exocet - WeaponSystems.netPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports MM38 Exocet technical data, reported unit cost, production period, and broad service overview. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Floreal class Frigate French Navy Marine Nationale FregatePublisher: seaforces.org | Note: Supports the Floréal-class carriage of two MM38 Exocet missiles in midships launchers before the French ships removed the launchers in 2014. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Seaforces: D'Estienne d'Orves class Corvette Aviso French Navy MarinePublisher: seaforces.org | Note: Supports the D'Estienne d'Orves/A69 class armament fit with Exocet MM38 missiles. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Exocet MM38.jpg - Wikimedia CommonsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing context for the primary MM38 gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Exocet MM38 Schnellboot S78.jpg - Wikimedia CommonsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and licensing context for the MM38 launcher gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-07-01