DSEI 2025: MBDA introduces NLOS Akeron 120 MBT missile

MBDA has unveiled a new NLOS missile at DSEI – the Akeron MBT 120 – which is intended for use from MBTs such as the Abrams, Leopard and Challenger.

Designed to match the space envelope of a 120mm tank round, the Akeron 120 MBT will offer low-cost integration into MBTs, designed to “revolutionise” the tank’s main capabilities, according to the company. 

“Where the reliance upon artillery and air power has usually been central to NATO adoption, what we’re now seeing is actually land forces need to be able to fight without [...] that reliance upon artillery and offensive support assets further back,” MBDA’s spokesperson explained.

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At 20kg, the “fire and forget” gun-launched missile will be powered using a rocket motor, MBDA added, with a passive electro-optic/infrared seeker that allows the missile to strike “top down” and target weak points in an enemy vehicle. It will also offer a high loadout with no change to the MBT silhouette or signature, MBDA noted. 

“We’re trying to get ahead, anticipating the requirement [for NLOS missiles], rather than waiting for it to be formally stated,” the MBDA spokesperson said.

Other options for NLOS missiles have recently entered the market, including Leonardo’s Vulcano 120. MBDA’s Akeron 120 MBT will sit, according to the company, on the “high end” of ammunition cost for an MBT. It will be able to be used by a wide range of MBTs already deployed by NATO forces, including Challenger 3, Leopard 2 and Abrams variants.

Addressing a new market

The battlefield in Ukraine has shown a marked shift in tank engagements, with tanks already reportedly improvising and engaging in NLOS attacks. In mid-2024, it was reported that Russia had used North Korean Bulsae-4 NLOS anti-tank guided missile systems.

“This new munition enables those platforms to fight in a completely different way – to maximise their lethality, to increase their survivability, to limit their reliance on third-party systems such as artillery, and to dominate the close fight in what we are seeing as the next generation of peer-armed warfare,” the spokesperson explained.

While no firm entry into service date was given, the spokesperson added that the Akeron 120 MBT was designed to be a “fast to market, fast to service product”.

“The objective is to bring this into service ideally within a couple of years at most – ideally faster.

“I would like to see demonstration firings next year, but that’s an aspiration. It’s looking at the near term,” they added.

Shephard’s DSEI 2025 coverage is sponsored by:

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