• Land Warfare

  Akeron MP test firings demonstrate BLoS engagement capabilities

  7th October 2022

  Recent demonstrations of Akeron MP in Cyprus marked a ‘major step in the definition of an initial operational concept’ for a European BLoS capability, says MBDA.

• Land Warfare

  Polish air defence initiatives pass twin milestones

  5th October 2022

  MBDA UK signs framework agreement for Pilica+, while Poland receives first interim Mała Narew SHORAD system with UK-made missiles.

• Training

  UK Wildcat helicopter weapons training and digitisation reaches next stage

  8th November 2022

  The Wildcat Integrated Support and Training programme has reached its next stage with implementation of a Weapons Loading System trainer at the Royal Navy's Yeovilton base. The MoD is also experimenting with digitisation of the AW159 Wildcat helicopter.

• Naval Warfare

  Euronaval 2022: Turret innovations take centre stage for Nexter

  18th October 2022

  French manufacturer Nexter displays 1:1 final design model of RapidFire point defence system and missile-equipped Narwhal turret.

• Naval Warfare

  UK inks long-awaited contract for extra Type 26 frigates

  15th November 2022

  Against the backdrop of the G20 summit in Indonesia, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has greenlit a contract to build five more frigates for the UK Royal Navy (RN).

• Naval Warfare

  Euronaval 2022: Preliminary design review for Canadian Surface Combatant nears the finish line

  24th October 2022

  The Canadian Surface Combatant project aims to replace both the Iroquois-class destroyers and Halifax-class frigates with a single ship type.

• Land Warfare

  MSPO 2022: MBDA engages with early stage Narew SHORAD and more

  7th September 2022

  Work continues on maturing Polish concepts for integrated air defence, including integration of CAMM and CAMM-ER missiles from MBDA.

• Naval Warfare

  Everything you need to know about France's FDI frigate

  3rd November 2022

  France's first Frégate de Défense et d'Intervention (FDI) ship, Amiral Ronarc'h, is the first of eight being built at Naval Group's Lorient shipyard for the French and Greek navies.

• Defence Notes

  France favours air force in 2023 defence budget

  11th October 2022

  Galvanised by the Russia-Ukraine war, French military spending plans for 2023 focus on fixed-wing aviation.

• Naval Warfare

  European Patrol Corvette gains slice of EU funding but practical hurdles remain

  22nd September 2022

  Four NATO navies could acquire a total of 26 European Patrol Corvette vessels in a complex programme that includes at least two different configurations and two concepts of use — but various details remain unresolved.

• Land Warfare

  DVD 2022: RBSL unveils Brimstone-equipped Boxer Overwatch demonstrator concept

  22nd September 2022

  Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) has unveiled a new Boxer variant demonstrator carrying MBDA's Brimstone missile at DVD 2022.

• Land Warfare

  UK artillery seeks greater range and accuracy

  21st September 2022

  The Integrated Review and MoD Command Paper underlined the value of improving the British Army’s artillery capabilities — but the UK will have to break a trend of failed procurements to succeed in future.

• Air Warfare

  Farnborough 2022: MBDA outlines vision for Tempest Weapon Effects Management System

  28th July 2022

  Last week saw big announcements by Team Tempest and MBDA was eager to talk about their own progress at the Farnborough International Airshow.

• Defence Notes

  Accelerated introduction of new military procurement law reflects changed priorities in France

  15th August 2022

  The French government is bringing a new Military Programming Law into force two years ahead of schedule.

• Defence Notes

  French seek urgent reinforcement for air defence umbrella

  29th June 2022

  France needs a new interim addition to its air defence arsenal, particularly as the Crotale NG SHORAD missile is due for retirement by 2025 — could VL MICA fit the bill?

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Colibri [France]

  Programme Background Origins French Ministry of Armed Forces spokesperson Hervé Grandjean stated in a press conference in May 2022 that the Direction Générale de l'Armement (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 ...

• 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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Larinae [France]

  Background Origins French Ministry of Armed Forces spokesperson Hervé Grandjean stated in a press conference in May 2022 that the Direction Générale de l'Armement (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 ...

• 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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Project Brakestop [UK]

  Background Information Notice On 25 September 2024, the UK MoD published a prior information notice on Project Brakestop, which informed the industry about the upcoming competition ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Future Combat Air System (FCAS/SCAF) [France]

  Programme Background The governments of France and Germany have launched the demonstrator phase for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) with the issue of an ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Future Combat Air System (FCAS/SCAF) [Spain]

  Programme Background Programme Timeline The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) was publicly announced in July 2017, followed by a Franco-German agreement in 2018. At the ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Future Combat Air System (FCAS/SCAF) [Germany]

  Background Requirement The FCAS programme is based on the system-of-systems design, envisioning a "command fighter" aircraft that has stand-alone combat capability as well as controlling ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Sherpa Light [Morocco]

  Programme Background Morocco is in the midst of procuring large quantities of defence equipment from the French defence industry to modernise its forces, with much ...

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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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, ...

• Air: chaff, flare and 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 ...

• Naval guns, Land: RWS

  DragonFire

  Dragonfire is a new laser weapon system built for the UK MoD, receiving £30 million of funding in early 2017. The design of the gun ...

• 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 ...

• SABER

  The Small Air Bomb Extended Range (SABER) family is being developed to provide a low-cost weapon for small and medium-sized UAVs and small tactical UAVs. ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  MEADS

  The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) provides 360° defence against existing and future tactical or medium-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, UAVs and aircraft. MEADS ...

• Surface-to-surface missiles

  MdCN-NCM (Naval Cruise Missile)

  Developed by MBDA to meet the needs of the French Navy, the MdCN-NCM is a long-range cruise missile capable of being launched from surface and below-surface vessels. ...

• 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 ...

• Air-to-surface missiles, Surface-to-surface missiles

  Brimstone

  MBDA developed the Brimstone missile to provide an air-to-surface missile to equip UK RAF Tornados. The Dual Mode Brimstone (DMB) semi-active laser and the millimetre-wave, ...