The 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.
Argentine Navy personnel adapted ship-launched MM38 Exocet missiles into the shore-based ITB launcher near Port Stanley; after an earlier unsuccessful attempt, the system hit HMS Glamorgan on June 12, 1982, as the destroyer withdrew from naval gunfire support near Stanley.
During the final phase of the 1982 Falklands War, Argentine Navy personnel adapted ship-launched MM38 Exocet missiles into an improvised land-based firing system known as ITB. The missiles were taken from ARA Seguí, paired with a trailer-mounted launch arrangement and supporting electronics, and deployed near Puerto Argentino/Stanley with radar support.
Argentina's Ministry of Defense says the MM38 missiles and launch equipment came from Argentine naval ship systems, including missiles removed from ARA Seguí.
The improvised battery was assembled to threaten British ships conducting naval gunfire support close to shore around Stanley.
On June 12, 1982, the battery hit HMS Glamorgan near the hangar area after the destroyer maneuvered away from the incoming missile.
Sources: Malvinas 44 años: ingenio en el terreno, invento argentino; Royal Navy: Salute to the men of Glamorgan; USNI Proceedings: Top Three Naval Weapons.
MM38 is the original surface-launched Exocet branch. Later Exocet designations separate the family by launch platform and modernization path, including AM39 for air launch, SM39 for submarine launch, MM40 for later sea- and ground-launched missiles, and BC38 for a coastal-defense adaptation of MM38.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Air-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 Exocet | Improved sea- and ground-launched successor | CSIS describes MM40 as an upgraded version of MM38 with added propellant for longer range and later Block 2 and Block 3 modernization steps. Sources: CSIS Exocet Missile Threat |
| SM39 Exocet | Submarine-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 |
| BC38 | Coastal-defense MM38 modification | CSIS says coastal-defense modifications of MM38 and MM40 resulted in BC38 and BC40. Sources: CSIS Exocet Missile Threat |
MM38 was designed as a surface-launched Exocet for warships and could also be adapted into coastal-defense launch arrangements.
| Launcher | Launcher type | Launch evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Aviso / light corvette | Seaforces lists the D'Estienne d'Orves/A69 class with Exocet MM38 missiles in the original French armament fit. |
 | Surveillance frigate | Seaforces lists Floréal-class frigates with two Exocet MM38 surface-to-surface missiles and says the French ships removed them in 2014. Sources: Seaforces: Floréal-class frigate |
MBDA says Nord Aviation developed Exocet MM38 after Western navies identified the anti-ship missile gap, with the first operational firing occurring in 1971.
Sources: MBDA history: Exocet MM38
CSIS lists the original ship-launched MM38 as entering service in 1975.
Sources: CSIS Exocet Missile Threat
Argentina's Ministry of Defense says Argentine Navy personnel began adapting ship-launched MM38 missiles for land launch after British naval gunfire around Puerto Argentino/Stanley.
Sources: Malvinas 44 años: ingenio en el terreno, invento argentino
Argentine sources, Royal Navy memorial accounts, and USNI reporting describe the improvised MM38 shore-launch system striking HMS Glamorgan near the end of the Falklands campaign.
Sources: Malvinas 44 años: ingenio en el terreno, invento argentino, Royal Navy: Salute to the men of Glamorgan, USNI Proceedings: Top Three Naval Weapons
WeaponSystems.net gives 2001 as the end of MM38 production, while CSIS lists the variant as discontinued by 2002.
Sources: Weaponsystems.net: MM38 Exocet, CSIS Exocet Missile Threat
