• Air Warfare

  On the Frontlines of Innovation: Unleashing Success in the Complex World of Aerospace and Defence (Studio)

  11th August 2023

  Discover how Lead Systems Integrators such as BAE Systems overcome the intricacies of aerospace and defence projects, uniting global suppliers and emerging tech to usher in game-changing capabilities for the frontline.

• Defence Notes

  MBDA opens missile engineering centre in Abu Dhabi to develop smart weapons

  13th June 2023

  MBDA has inaugurated a missile engineering centre in the United Arab Emirates, jointly staff by personnel from the company and Tawazun Technology Innovation.

• Naval Warfare

  MBDA, Italian Navy detail development of Teseo Mk2/E missile

  8th June 2023

  The new missile, which incorporates land-attack capabilities, is the latest evolution of the Otomat/Teseo anti-ship weapon family and is set to replace the legacy Mk2/A version in service with the Italian Navy.

• Land Warfare

  Insight: Why the CV90 infantry fighting vehicle is making a clean sweep of Nordic markets

  19th September 2023

  Shephard Defence Insight explores the evolution of BAE Systems Hägglunds’ CV90 IFV from its inception in the late 1980s to the latest CV90 MkIV, detailing the order history and upgrade packages of its ten European customers.

• Naval Warfare

  UK, Italy and France embark on destroyer upgrade programmes

  28th June 2023

  At the Paris Air Show, France and Italy signed an MoU for the mid-life upgrade of their Horizon-class destroyers. The upgrades will focus on anti-air defences, including radar, weapons and combat systems, while the UK's Daring-class destroyers will receive air defence capability enhancements.

• Air Warfare

  Clear skies ahead: Royal Air Force Typhoons to receive advanced radar and EW upgrade

  5th July 2023

  The ECRS Mk2 radar brings advanced electronic warfare capabilities and potential weapon integration opportunities to the Royal Air Force's multi-mission fighter.

• Naval Warfare

  Fincantieri delivers fourth and final Qatari corvette

  17th May 2023

  Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has delivered the fourth and final Al Zubarah-class corvette, Semaisma, built for Qatar.

• Defence Notes

  IMDEX 2023: MBDA and PGZ partnership includes ‘deep industrial cooperation’ on CAMM-ER

  6th May 2023

  MBDA has confirmed that work with Poland on land and maritime air defence includes cooperation on the extended-range version of the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM), known as CAMM-ER.

• Land Warfare

  Poland forges ahead with air defence integration

  30th May 2023

  Poland is exploring integrating Northrop Grumman's IBCS command and control system with the short-range elements of its multi-layer air defence network as it seeks to accelerate delivery of the capability.

• Land Warfare

  MBDA strikes $2.4 billion anti-air deal with Poland

  2nd May 2023

  Poland has announced a $2.4-billion deal with the UK arm of Europe’s MBDA for 44 iLauncher anti-air platforms and several hundred CAMM missiles.

• Land Warfare

  Lockheed Martin gains market share in Europe with tailored missile and air defence systems

  13th June 2023

  The company is providing systems to Ukraine, Poland and Germany, modernising launchers for the UK and Italy in addition to partnering with European manufacturers.

• Naval Warfare

  First Royal Navy Type 31 frigate to hit the water this year

  2nd June 2023

  The first of the Royal Navy’s future Inspiration-class Type 31 frigates, HMS Venturer, is scheduled to hit the water this year.

• Naval Warfare

  MBDA nets new contract for Saudi CAMM missiles

  11th May 2023

  The US Navy has awarded MBDA a $19.6 million contract modification to produce Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles (CAMM) to equip Saudi Arabia's future Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) ships.

• Air Warfare

  Lockheed hopeful of Armed Black Hawk deal for Polish Army amid increased defence spending

  8th June 2023

  The Polish government is significantly increasing its defence budget and looks to grow its armed forces in an efforts to counter Russia's perceived threat. Under these plans, there is place for Armed Black Hawk attack helicopters next to the AW149s and Apaches.

• Air Warfare

  Malaysia signs contracts for light combat aircraft and MALE UAVs

  29th May 2023

  Malaysia announced several important aircraft contracts at LIMA 2023, including UAVs and light combat aircraft.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Deluge (First batch) [France]

  Background Unveiling MBDA unveiled a scale model of the One-Way Effector (OWE), later named the Deluge, at the Paris Air Show 2025. As Breaking Defence reported at the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Colibri: Short-range loitering munition (Uncontracted) [France]

  Background Origins French Ministry of Armed Forces spokesperson Hervé Grandjean stated at a press conference in May 2022 that the General Directorate for Armament (DGA) ...

• Loitering munitions

  Deluge (Additional batches) [France]

  Background Unveiling MBDA unveiled a scale model of the One-Way Effector (OWE), later named the Deluge, at the Paris Air Show 2025. As Breaking Defence reported at the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Larinae: Medium-range loitering munition [France]

  Background Origins French Ministry of Armed Forces spokesperson Hervé Grandjean stated at a press conference in May 2022 that the General Directorate for Armament (DGA) ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Remote Carrier (RC) [Germany]

  Programme Background FCAS Project As noted by Airbus, the FCAS project is a tri-nation effort which will be centred around a core Next-Generation Weapon System (NGWS), which ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Remote Carrier (RC) [France]

  Programme Background FCAS Project As noted by Airbus, the FCAS project is a tri-nation effort which will be centred around a core Next-Generation Weapon System ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Remote Carrier (RC) [Spain]

  Programme Background FCAS Project As noted by Airbus, the FCAS project is a tri-nation effort which will be centred around a core Next-Generation Weapon System ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Rafale Follow-On (Egypt)

  Programme Background Egypt was reported to request 12 Rafale fighters following an earlier contract in 2015. However, this deal fell into limbo after the Pentagon blocked ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  Long-Range Ground Strike (FLP-T) [France]

  Background The French Army currently operates the M270 as its only MLRS. France previously procured a total of 55, though this number had reduced to ...

• Loitering munitions

  Colibri: Short-range loitering munition (Contracted) [France]

  Background Origins French Ministry of Armed Forces spokesperson Hervé Grandjean stated at a press conference in May 2022 that the General Directorate for Armament (DGA) ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Rafale [France]

  Programme Background Rafale F4 is the latest configuration of the Rafale fighter jet family. New functions will also be developed to improve the aircraft’s capabilities ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Remote Carrier [French Navy]

  Background Carrier Air Wing Plan The French Navy presented a broad plan for its carrier air wing for the future decades at a briefing at ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme [Italy]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that the Italian, British and Japanese components of GCAP are tracked in separate entries. Programme Timeline 2019: In September 2019, the UK and Italian ...

• Frigates

  Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC) [Saudi Arabia]

  Programme Background The US State Department approved a possible $11.25 billion Foreign Military Sale to the KSA for MMCS ships and associated equipment, parts and ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Nauru 1000C [Brazil]

  Background Contract award The Logistics Command (COLOG) of the Brazilian Army purchased three Nauru 1000C UAVs, training, 36-month integrated logistics support, two EO/MWIR XSIS 222A gimbals, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Guided munitions

  SmartGlider Light

  The SmartGlider Light is a precision-guided air-to-ground munition developed by MBDA, designed to enhance the strike capabilities of modern combat aircraft. MBDA anticipates that the ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  VL MICA RF

  The VL MICA missile is derived from the original MICA air-to-air missile developed by MBDA. The VL MICA system's first iteration was developed for naval ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  VL MICA IR

  The VL MICA missile is derived from the original MICA air-to-air missile developed by MBDA. The VL MICA system's first iteration was developed for naval ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCH 170

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCH 170 is a fixed-wing loitering munition from MBDA. Similar in design to the Switchblade 300, the catapult launched system ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Aster 30

  The ASTER-30 is a vertically launched surface-to-air missile produced by Eurosam, a joint venture between MBDA France, MBDA Italy, and the Thales Group. Its basic ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  CAMM

  The Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) is a short-range, anti-aircraft and anti-missile surface-to-air missile. Developed to be launched from maritime platforms, land-based platforms and aircraft, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCX 50

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCX 50 is a rotary-wing loitering munition from MBDA. The NX70 is designed to support infantry units by conducting battlefield ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  SHARCS

  The SHARCS is a flying testbed UAV from MBDA Deutschland, which supports the testing of various sub-systems, including avionics, sensor technology, algorithms, networking, and data links. MBDA ...

• Loitering munitions

  Deluge

  Unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2025, Deluge, formally known as the One-Way Effector (OWE), is a loitering munition and low-cost cruise missile from MBDA. The ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  Italian LDEW (Leonardo/MBDA)

  As announced in December 2024, Leonardo and MBDA are collaborating to produce a Fire Unit Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) for the Italian Navy. The ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  DragonFire

  DragonFire is a laser weapon system built for the UK MoD and manufactured by a consortium of manufacturers. The primary manufacturer is MBDA, though they ...

• Air: chaff/flare/decoy systems

  SAPHIR-M

  SAPHIR-M is a chaff and flare dispensing system for the Tiger and NH90, and is also offered for other helicopters. It offers a high decoy ...

• Loitering munitions

  Crossbow

  MBDA unveiled Crossbow, a ground-launched One Way Effector Heavy (OWE(H)) at DSEI 2025. Equipped to carry kinetic or non-kinetic payloads up to 300kg, the turbojet-powered OWE(H) ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  MPCV

  The Multi-Purpose Combat Vehicle (MPCV) is a 4x4 armoured vehicle developed by Soframe on the Mercedes-Benz Unimog 5000 truck chassis. Able to accommodate between four ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  German LDEW (Rheinmetall/MBDA)

  Rheinmetall and MBDA Germany's collaborative work on laser-directed energy weapon (LDEW) technology has resulted in a German laser weapon system that is close to being ...