• Defence Notes

  MBDA calls for greater Anglo-French co-operation

  21st March 2012

  MBDA has called for 'mutual dependence' between the UK and France, warning that a lack of co-operation could see both countries losing out in the …

• Land Warfare

  US examines MEADS funding

  18th January 2012

  Lockheed Martin has revealed that discussions will begin 'this week' with regards to the 2013 congressional requirements for the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS). …

• Military Logistics

  MBDA wins demilitarisation award

  25th November 2011

  MBDA has been awarded a contract for the destruction of 36,000 complex munitions by the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA). This marks the beginning …

• Digital Battlespace

  First MEADS battle manager begins integration testing

  13th October 2011

  MEADS International (MI) has begun integration testing on the first completed Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) battle manager at the MEADS Verification Facility in …

• Defence Helicopter

  MBDA advances FASGW/ANL programme

  16th September 2011

  Since being launched as a Joint Assessment Phase in 2009, MBDA has been successfully developing the technical maturity data of the main FASGW(H)/ANL (Future Anti …

• Digital Battlespace

  DSEi 2011: Cassidian unveils cyber strategy details

  13th September 2011

  Cassidian Systems' new cyber warfare division has submitted a series of draft policy papers as it bids to develop an Anglo-French capability, according to CEO …

• Defence Notes

  Lockheed Martin hopeful for continuing MEADS funding

  25th August 2011

  Lockheed Martin is ‘optimistic’ that funding will continue for the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) programme beyond the two years that the tri-national agreement …

• Digital Battlespace

  BAE Systems awarded Type 45 Sampson radar contract

  27th June 2011

  BAE Systems has been awarded a six year, £46m contract to support the Sampson multi-function radars (MFR) on board the fleet of six Royal Navy …

• Digital Battlespace

  Lockheed Martin delivers tactical hardware for MEADS

  15th June 2011

  Lockheed Martin recently delivered the first intra-fire unit communications kit qualified for use with the tri-national Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS). This kit, also …

• Defence Helicopter

  MBDA's PARS 3 LR successfully tested on German Tiger

  23rd May 2011

  Three firings, three hits! This is the impressive score of the test firing exercise conducted with the PARS 3 LR guided antitank missile system. For …

• Defence Helicopter

  Thales receives first LMM order for UK MoD

  5th April 2011

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Thales UK have agreed on a ‘re-role’ to allow the signing of the first production contract for the …

• Defence Notes

  MBDA eyes Spanish expansion

  17th March 2011

  MBDA has said that transitioning into Spain is an ‘important objective’ for the European company as it celebrated a 7% profit increase in 2010. Speaking …

• Digital Battlespace

  First MEADS Battle Manager ready for system tests at Italian Air Force Base

  20th December 2010

  The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program today displayed the first MEADS Battle Manager during ceremonies at MBDA Italia facilities in Fusaro, Italy. The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Power 2010: UK eyes export market for Wildcat

  19th November 2010

  The AW159 Lynx Wildcat is being actively promoted on the export market by the UK government, despite the aircraft still being several years away from …

• Digital Battlespace

  Lockheed Martin delivers first MEADS intra-fire unit communications hardware

  26th October 2010

  Lockheed Martin recently delivered the first two intra-fire unit communications hardware components for the tri-national Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS). The two Message Routing …

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 ...