• Land Warfare

  Land Forces 2016: Land 400 – opportunity knocks

  8th September 2016

  The biggest acquisition programmes currently under way for the Australian Army fall under the Land 400 umbrella for new armoured vehicles, and these offer great …

• Land Warfare

  Land Forces 2016: Australia’s GBAD jigsaw puzzle

  8th September 2016

  The topic of ground-based air defence (GBAD) and integrated air defence attracted much attention at Land Forces 2016 in Adelaide, although potential vendors are awaiting …

• Land Warfare

  MSPO 2016: MEADS back in running for Wisla

  8th September 2016

  The door has seemingly swung wide open for MEADS International as the Polish government makes it clear it is prepared to play hard ball to …

• Naval Warfare

  Qatar, MBDA sign coastal defence contract

  2nd September 2016

  MBDA will supply a coastal defence system for the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces (QENF) under a contract signed on 1 September. The contract formalises an …

• Land Warfare

  MSPO 2016: Plenty worth fighting for

  30th August 2016

  Poland’s land programmes have been moving on in fits and starts. The Rosomak 8x8 APC programme is the main flagship armoured vehicle programme but others …

• Naval Warfare

  Qatar seek fast patrol boats

  23rd August 2016

  The US State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale (FMS) to Qatar for an undisclosed number of Mk V fast patrol boats in …

• Defence Notes

  MBDA secures UK ASRAAM contract

  17th August 2016

  MBDA will produce ASRAAM infra-red guided air-to-air missiles for the UK’s F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet under a £184 million contract with the UK …

• Digital Battlespace

  OSI to supply NZ frigate upgrade radar

  27th July 2016

  OSI Maritime Systems (OSI) has signed a contract for the supply of a new radar system as part of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) …

• Defence Helicopter

  Farnborough 2016: Brimstone in for a firing shot with UK

  15th July 2016

  MBDA’s Brimstone missile has undergone successful firing tests from the AH-64E, heightening the weapon's potential appeal to the British Army for future capability plans. It was …

• Digital Battlespace

  Farnborough 2016: Meteoric cost saving potential

  11th July 2016

  Meteor, a radar guided beyond visual range air-to-air missile, is being showcased on an operational aircraft for the first time at the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA 2016). Meteor …

• Military Logistics

  MBDA to maintain Storm Shadow

  8th July 2016

  MBDA has received a five-year £28 million contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the maintenance of the Storm Shadow missile used by …

• Defence Notes

  MBDA to supply missiles to Qatar

  1st July 2016

  MBDA Italia has received a contract worth around $1.12 billion to supply the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces (QENF) with missiles for their new Fincantieri naval …

• Digital Battlespace

  Eurosatory: New VSHORAD C2 system unveiled

  17th June 2016

  MBDA has launched Licorne, a very short-range air defence (VSHORAD) command and control system for fast reaction, airborne or amphibious forces.  Licorne uses the same …

• Defence Notes

  Eurosatory: Teaming for latest Aster

  16th June 2016

  A Cooperation Arrangement was signed between the defence ministries of Italy and France for the joint development of the Aster 30 Block 1 NT missile in …

• Land Warfare

  Eurosatory: MMP series production begins

  15th June 2016

  The Missile Moyenne Portée (MMP) medium-range modular land combat missile system from MBDA has started series production. The multi-mission missile provides engagement and destruction of …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Colibri [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) and ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Project Brakestop [UK]

  Background Information Notice On 25 September 2024, the UK MoD published a prior information notice for Project Brakestop, informing industry of the upcoming competition. Requirements ...

• 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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  VBCI (Qatar)

  Programme Background The VBCI-2 was selected in preference to a competing offer comprising Patria's AMV 8x8 equipped with a Lockheed Martin turret. However, at the ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Sherpa Light Scout [Cyprus]

  Programme Background Cyprus is currently undertaking an effort to modernise its 4x4 and 6x6 fleets. It was first announced in June 2024 that Cyprus was ...

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, ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...