• Defence Helicopter

  LAAD 2013: First upgraded Panther nears certification

  12th April 2013

  The first upgraded Panther K2 helicopter is expected to pass certification this month, ready to be delivered to the Brazilian Army in mid-May for operational …

• Defence Helicopter

  MBDA: major projects on hold pending white paper release

  21st March 2013

  Despite a record year for exports, MBDA faces a series of challenges to the development of its domestic and international projects in 2013, chief executive …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sagem awarded tactical missile design study contract

  21st March 2013

  Sagem will carry out work to design and construct inertial reference units for new-generation tactical missiles under a design study contract awarded by the French …

• Naval Warfare

  SIMBAD-RC air defence system contract for MBDA

  18th February 2013

  MBDA has signed its first export contract for the SIMBAD-RC remote-control short-range naval anti-air defence system, the company announced at the IDEX exhibition in Abu …

• Defence Notes

  Aero India 2013: VSHORAD contenders square off

  8th February 2013

  Contenders for the Indian Army’s Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORAD) requirement presented their respective offerings at the Aero India exhibition as a downselect …

• Defence Notes

  RAF augments Brimstone missile stocks

  18th January 2013

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a contract with MBDA to increase the Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) Brimstone missile stocks. The £14 million …

• Defence Helicopter

  Germany nears first Tiger operational deployment

  22nd November 2012

  After much delay, Germany’s Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter will now deploy to Afghanistan for its first operational mission in early December. Four ASGARD-F Tigers will …

• Land Warfare

  MBDA Germany demonstrates laser weapon system

  9th November 2012

  MBDA Germany’s high-energy laser has demonstrated a complete deployment sequence in countering rockets, artillery and mortar shells (C-RAM), moving the programme a step closer to …

• Defence Helicopter

  PARS 3 LR enters full scale production

  9th October 2012

  MBDA has announced that PARS 3 LR, the main armament for the German Army’s Tiger helicopter, has passed into full scale production. The news follows …

• Defence Helicopter

  Helibras and Lider sign MoU for Brazilian EC225 production

  3rd October 2012

  Oil and gas helicopter operator Lider Aviacao has signed an MoU with Helibras to become the first operator of Brazilian-built Eurocopter EC225s. The deal, announced …

• Land Warfare

  MBDA Germany’s 40 kW laser successfully tested

  13th September 2012

  MBDA Germany has achieved a power of 40 kW using its high-energy laser demonstrator during a laser firing campaign. This was the first successful demonstration …

• Military Logistics

  Thales announces OCCAr contract signing

  26th July 2012

  Thales has announced that Eurosam, its joint venture with MBDA, has signed the first Integrated In-Service Support (IISS) contract with the Organisation for Joint Armaments …

• Defence Helicopter

  Qatar gets ready for helicopter air-to-air combat

  17th July 2012

  Qatar may be looking to equip its next generation attack helicopter fleet with an air-to-air capability, it has emerged. In an unusual move – followed …

• Naval Warfare

  Farnborough 2012: MBDA completes Sea Spear live firing

  10th July 2012

  MBDA has recently completed live firing trials of its new Brimstone Sea Spear missile system for anti-FIAC (fast inshore attack craft) applications. The system is …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Farnborough 12: MBDA looks to UAV future

  9th July 2012

  MBDA has launched the CVS301 Vigilus concept for the weaponisation of MALE UAVS. Speaking at a media briefing at the Farnborough International Airshow, Chris Allard, …

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

  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

  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) ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  MSAM Replacement [Norway]

  Background Kongsberg's NASAMS has been one of the export successes of recent years in the GBAD sector; however, the Norwegian Government recognises that there will ...

• 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Project Dragonfire [UK]

  Background The UK Government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has been working with MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ to develop a LASER Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) called ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering munitions [Italy]

  Bids and suppliers MBDA Italia MBDA Italia unveiled two loitering munitions during the Italian Mountain Troops exercise called Volpe Bianca 2025. Due to the sovereignty of ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Medium-Range Air Defence {Malaysia]

  Background Historically, Malaysia has relied on a combination of SHORAD/V-SHORAD and fixed-wing interceptors.  Given the growth of modern stand-off weapons, Malaysia's Defence White Paper 2020 identified the ...

• Man-portable missile systems

  Mistral SHORAD [Croatia]

  Background Croatia announced the procurement of the Mistral for the Croatian Armed Forces. The procurement followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the crash of a Tu-141 ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Medium Range Air Defence [Portugal]

  Background Portugal's Military Programming Law 2023-2034 includes a requirement for medium-range air defence. In order to facilitate this, Portugal has joined the European Sky Shield Initiative ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  C-UAS [Portugal]

  Background Portugal's Military Programming Law 2023–2034 includes $8.8724 million (€8.2 million) to acquire counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) by 2034. It is assumed that this acquisition requires ...

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

  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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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, ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 system is fitted ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...