Munitions

SM39 Exocet

Also known as
  • Exocet SM39
  • SM39
  • SM-39 Exocet

The SM39 Exocet is the submarine-launched member of MBDA's Exocet anti-ship missile family. It packages a solid-propellant, sea-skimming missile in a VSM underwater launch vehicle fired from a standard 21-inch torpedo tube, giving submarines a concealed anti-surface option without requiring a dedicated vertical-launch system.

SM39 Exocet, Submarine-launched anti-ship missile, Munitions
Image source: File:ExocetVersions.JPG
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
France
Built by
MBDA
Type
Submarine-launched anti-ship missile
Service note
Late Cold War-present

Specifications

Weight
655 kg
Length
4.69 m
Diameter
350 mm
Range
More than 50 km
Speed
High subsonic
Launch method
Standard 21-inch submarine torpedo tube using a VSM underwater vehicle
Navigation
Inertial navigation
Terminal guidance
Active RF homing
Warhead
Insensitive high-explosive blast and pre-fragmented effects warhead
Variants

SM39 is the submarine-launched Exocet branch; MBDA also lists AM39 air-launched, MM40 ship/coastal, and newer SM40 submarine-launched Exocet family members.

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

MBDA's family page identifies AM39 as the air-to-sea Exocet branch, separate from the submarine-to-sea SM39.

Sources: EXOCET Family

Exocet MM38 anti-ship missile, Surface-launched anti-ship missile, MunitionsExocet MM38 anti-ship missileOriginal surface-launched Exocet branch

CSIS describes MM38 as the original ship-launched Exocet model, while SM39 is the submarine-launched branch.

Sources: Exocet | Missile Threat

SM40Next-generation submarine-launched Exocet member

MBDA describes SM40 as an in-development successor and evolution of SM39 with a 120 km-class range and newer seeker technology.

Sources: EXOCET SM40 | MBDA, Euronaval 2024: MBDA unveils sub-launched SM40 Exocet

Launch Platforms

SM39 is an encapsulated Exocet variant for submarine torpedo-tube launch. Internal links are limited to cataloged platforms with direct source support.

LauncherLauncher typeLaunch evidence
Suffren-class submarine, Nuclear-powered attack submarine, Naval SystemsSuffren-class submarineNuclear-powered attack submarine

MBDA reported that Suffren successfully test-fired an Exocet SM39 underwater-launched anti-ship missile during Mediterranean trials near the DGA missile test centre on Ile du Levant.

Sources: Exocet SM39 and MdCN firings from Suffren

Scorpene-class submarine, Diesel-electric attack submarine, Naval SystemsScorpene-class submarineDiesel-electric attack submarine family

Janes reports a Malaysian Scorpene-class boat fired a torpedo-tube-launched Exocet SM39 during a South China Sea exercise, while Indonesian Scorpene Evolved reporting says SM39 launch capability is part of that contract.

Sources: Malaysia fires live torpedo from Scorpene submarine for the first time, Indonesia's First Two Scorpene Evolved Will Have Missile Launch Capability

Submarine Launch Context

SM39 separates the Exocet family by launch environment rather than by target set: the missile is sealed inside a VSM underwater vehicle, fired from a normal 21-inch torpedo tube, then released after the vehicle breaks the surface. That arrangement lets a submarine keep freedom of maneuver after firing while giving the missile a low-altitude transition into its sea-skimming attack profile.

Launch vehicle

Water-tight, propelled, and guided VSM underwater vehicle.

Tube fit

Standard 21-inch submarine torpedo tube.

Conflict status

Sources reviewed support service, trials, exercises, and compatibility, but not direct SM39 use in a named armed conflict.

Sources: EXOCET SM39 | MBDA; EXOCET SM39 Datasheet; Exocet SM39 and MdCN firings from Suffren; Malaysia fires live torpedo from Scorpene submarine for the first time.

Timeline

SM39 Exocet Key Events

  1. SM39 development begins

    CSIS records development of the submarine-launched SM39 branch beginning in 1979.

  2. Ready for deployment

    CSIS lists SM39 as ready for deployment in 1984.

  3. Suffren test firing

    MBDA reported that France's new Suffren-class submarine successfully fired an Exocet SM39 during Mediterranean trials.

  4. SM40 successor unveiled

    Naval News reported MBDA's Euronaval unveiling of SM40 as a new submarine-launched Exocet variant intended to succeed legacy SM39.

Media

SM39 Exocet Videos

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.
Marte Mk.2 anti-ship missile, Anti-ship missile, MunitionsMunitionsMarte Mk.2 anti-ship missileAnti-ship missileThe Marte Mk.2 is an Italian lightweight anti-ship missile family developed from the Sea Killer/Marte line and now marketed by MBDA for helicopter, aircraft, ship, and coastal-defense applications. Current MBDA material centers the family on the shared 310 kg MARTE MK2 missile, with the MK2/S serving fixed- and rotary-wing launch roles and the MK2/N adapting the same missile to ship launchers. The family uses fire-and-forget, all-weather sea-skimming flight with inertial mid-course waypoint navigation, active radar terminal homing, a semi-piercing high-explosive warhead, and impact/proximity fuzing.

Sources

EXOCET SM39 | MBDAPublisher: MBDA | Note: Supports SM39 identity, manufacturer background, submarine-launched Exocet family role, 21-inch torpedo-tube launch, VSM launch vehicle, guidance sequence, key features, and specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-04EXOCET SM39 DatasheetPublisher: MBDA | Note: Supports detailed SM39 specifications, VSM launch vehicle description, 21-inch tube launch, propulsion, inertial navigation, active RF homing, range, and warhead. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Exocet | Missile ThreatPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports Exocet family background and SM39 as the submarine-launched Exocet variant with 50 km-class range and VSM container-launch context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04EXOCET FamilyPublisher: MBDA | Note: Supports Exocet family framing across AM39, SM39, MM40, SM40, and mobile coastal variants. | Accessed: 2026-07-04EXOCET SM40 | MBDAPublisher: MBDA | Note: Supports SM40 as the in-development successor/evolution of SM39 with 120 km-class range, submarine-platform design, and newer seeker technology. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Exocet SM39 and MdCN firings from SuffrenPublisher: MBDA | Note: Supports the 2020 Suffren Exocet SM39 test firing during weapons-system trials and the Suffren launch-platform relationship. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Euronaval 2024: MBDA unveils sub-launched SM40 ExocetPublisher: Naval News | Note: Supports SM40 as a new submarine-launched Exocet variant intended to succeed legacy SM39 and adapt MM40 Block 3c technology for encapsulated launch. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Malaysia fires live torpedo from Scorpene submarine for the first timePublisher: Janes | Note: Supports Malaysian exercise context and a torpedo-tube-launched Exocet SM39 firing by KD Tunku Abdul Rahman. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Indonesia's First Two Scorpene Evolved Will Have Missile Launch CapabilityPublisher: Naval News | Note: Supports Indonesian Scorpene Evolved SM39 launch-capability contract context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04File:ExocetVersions.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports open-license image provenance for an Exocet versions photograph identifying SM39 as the submarine-launched version. | Accessed: 2026-07-04