With such a large number of interested attendees at MBDA’s pavilion at the Eurosatory 2024 Defence exhibition, the stand reminded of an actual missile arsenal.

The multinational giant exhibited a multitude of precision-strike missile solutions presented below.

Thundart Artillery Guided Rocket

To begin with, MBDA France and Safran Electronics & Defence showcased the Thundart Guided Artillery Rocket, developed as a candidate missile system for France’s Feux Longue Portée-Terre (FLP-T) or Land Long Range Fires program. The joint venture of Arianespace and Thales appears as the direct competitor for the program in question.

The 227 mm-caliber Thundart is designed to have an operational range of 150 km in the first phase and 500 km in the second phase, being backwards compatible with the existing Lance Roquette Unitaire (LRU) launcher of the French Army. 

This is the French version of the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS).

From the few technical details that have been leaked, the collaboration between the two companies sees MBDA taking over the propulsion and warhead, while Safran will focus on the guidance systems.

The FLP-T program, which was launched in 2024, has been allocated €180 million as part of the French Military Programming Act 2024-2030. FLP-T aims to rapidly and domestically replace the nine LRU systems, which are expected to be decommissioned in 2027.

Three of the existing systems have been donated to Ukraine, with the rest currently in service with the French Army. The bill calls for the acquisition of 13 new missile artillery systems by 2030, with a goal of fielding 26 systems by 2035. 

Also read: ILA Berlin 2024 | MBDA and Rheinmetall Collaboration – New systems unveiled

Land Cruise Missile (LCM) system

The Land Cruise Missile (LCM Deep Precision Strike) has made its maiden appearance.

The LCM is the ground-launched counterpart of the combat-proven Naval Cruise Missile (NCM), which is in service on frigates and attack submarines of the French Navy.

NCM projectile technical characteristics:

• Total weight: 1.4 tons
• Warhead weight: 499 kg
• Range: 1,400 km surface-launched / 1,000 km underwater-launched
• Speed: 804 km/h

The LCM cruise missile system is the first “Made-in-Europe” deep-strike, metric-precision, high-survivability missile solution to suppress / destroy enemy air defence systems thanks to its reduced radar cross-section and terrain tracking capability. 

According to the company, the system enables high-accuracy synchronized time-on-target (STOT) capability, as already demonstrated by the simultaneous NCM missile attack from a frigate and a submerged submarine, carried out by the French Navy in 2024.

MBDA’s operational concept includes a complete, integrated system with a mission planning suite and launchers mounted on ground platforms.

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LPS and JFS M

MBDA also revealed in scale a combined missile artillery solution consisting of LPS rockets and JFS-M (Joint Fire Support Missile) missiles.

The JFS-M missile has a range of up to 499 km and its design is based on the development of Remote Carriers and, in particular, of the company’s RC100 meant for the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program.

The cruise missile in question has been modified to fit into MLRS’ canisters such as the M270 or HIMARS.

According to the company, the JFS-M concept comes to meet long-range, deep strike fire requirements. The JFS-M approaches the enemy target from different directions to “confuse” enemy air defence and not to “give away” the launch location. 

JFS-M technical characteristics:

• Length: 2,600 mm
• Diameter: 290 mm
• Wingspan: 1.5 meters
• Propulsion: turbojet engine with booster 
• Take-off weight: 250-300 kg
• Speed: Mach 0.5 – Mach 0.9 / 600 – 1,000 km/h
• Guidance: INS, GNSS, Image Based
• Payload: High Explosive Multi-Effect Warhead (among others)

As is evident, two JFS-M can be fired from an M270 launcher canister with the adjacent canister (6 pack) equipped with LPS (LAND PRECISION STRIKE) rockets with a range of 80 km against repositionable targets featuring strike capability in both fire-and-forget and salvo modes.

Also read: AQUILA | MBDA to lead consortium for European interceptor against hypersonic threats

Finally, MBDA also unveiled its new hypersonic missile interceptor concept, dubbed AQUILA, as part of plans to develop intra-atmospheric interception capabilities by 2030, building on its Aster missile interceptor expertise.

Stay tuned to DEFENCE ReDEFiNED for the exclusive presentations of weapon systems at EUROSATORY 2024 that we are preparing including missile systems from MBDA.