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2020-08-11

MBDA’s MMP Missile Selected To Fulfil European BLOS Capability

MBDA recently announced that it will develop a new capability based on the MMP missile system that will be unique for mounted and dismounted forces. For this, the company will be working with 13 partners and subcontractors from five countries.

LynkEUs, an MBDA coordinated project, has been selected by the European Commission as part of the new European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP), following consultation with Member States.

Strategic Cooperation

LynkEUs is the first technological and industrial contribution to the objectives of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) capability project. The BLOS capability project had been approved in November 2018 by the EU Defence Ministers.

The project is managed in close partnership with the French, Belgian and Cypriot armed forces. The project seeks to define an initial operational concept for a European BLOS capability. It will also provide an opportunity to identify and test emerging solutions of potential value for future upgrades to the capability and will be validated by a test campaign.

The concepts and tests completed for the PESCO BLOS project will contribute to the development of a family of man-on-the loop BLOS missile systems with back image, based on the MMP medium range missile, and under full control of Europe’s defence industry.

MMP is the latest (fifth) generation land combat missile system designed for dismounted infantry as well as for integration on combat vehicles. The weapons effectiveness has also been proven on small naval craft as well.

Featuring both fire-and-forget and man-in-the-loop operation, network-enabled MMP also receives third party target designation for indirect firing scenarios. MMP has a multi-purpose warhead with the selectable choice of anti-armour of anti-infrastructure modes.

Eric Béranger, MBDA CEO, said: “LynkEUs is the first cooperative project in the missile systems field leveraging on the new EU defence instruments, and the first EU defence R&D project to be coordinated by MBDA. It demonstrates our eagerness to cooperate to an ever-greater extent in Europe and to expand our circle of industrial and technological partnerships.”

MBDA’s partners – from Belgium – The Royal Military Academy, John Cockerill Defense, FN Herstal, Thales Belgium, and Xenics; from Cyprus – Aditess, Cyprus Institute, and SignalGenerix; from France – Novadem and Safran; along with the three subcontractors: MILREM (from Estonia), DELAIR (from France), and Carmenta (from Sweden) – are now entering the negotiation phase of the grant agreement with the Commission.

This first success at the European level paves the way for further collaborative projects, that will consolidate a European BLOS capability by developing associated functions such as training systems and cooperative engagement. These new projects could be eligible for the future European Defence Fund as early as 2021.

Modular System

MPCV (Multi-Purpose Combat Vehicle for Land Combat) is the latest generation of high firepower weapon system specifically designed to meet the most demanding requirements of modern combat in both complex urban and open battlefield environments. Already well established in its MPCV/Mistral air defence version deploying the Mistral VSHORAD missile, MPCV/MMP is also available and features MBDA’s fifth generation, land combat MMP missile.

The MPCV turret design is focused on modularity and, therefore, provides the ideal platform for MMP, which itself has been designed to be multi-purpose. Housing four MMP missiles (in a 2x2 configuration), this motorised turret is suitable for a wide range of light and medium armoured vehicles (e.g. 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 all-terrain) as well as larger tracked platforms. The gyro-stabilised day/night thermal optical sensor and firing control units are all integrated within the turret. A 12.7 mm (.50 calibre) machine gun completes the system’s overall firepower.

The system is completely operable from within the vehicle, or remotely through a state-of-the-art, fully mobile workstation, which can be installed in a building, a bunker, or any protected place if static operations are called for.

MMP, already in service with the French Army, offers a wide range of next generation features whether deployed by dismounted infantry from a digital firing post or from armoured vehicles such as MPCV/MMP.

MMP’s design includes the growth potential necessary for a future family of missiles for modern land combat. It is in service and has been operationally tested and proven in extremes of climate (desert and sub-arctic conditions).

Reference Text/Photo:www.mbda-systems.com

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