Paris: Announcing the notification by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) of long-range land strike, MBDA and Safran Electronics & Defense said that they have received the approval to provide the sovereign THUNDART solution, designed to renew France’s ground-launched tactical deep strike capability by preparing the replacement of the Unitary Rocket Launcher (LRU, Lance-Roquettes Unitaire).
Developed jointly by MBDA and Safran Electronics & Defense, THUNDART will provide the French Army with a new long-range precision strike capability, adapted to the requirements of high-intensity conflict and capable of operating in the most contested environments. Designed, developed and produced in France, THUNDART will also offer the French Armed Forces full autonomy of use by 2030.
Following an initial development phase that led to a successful demonstration fire in April 2026, Safran Electronics & Defense and MBDA will create a 50/50 joint venture to pilot the project’s next steps. Located in the Paris region, the joint venture will manage the development, production, and in-service support of THUNDART. It will also oversee future evolutions, including future adaptation to other environments and allied export markets.,
Stéphane Reb, Executive Vice President Programmes and Managing Director of MBDA France, stated, “The notification of the THUNDART programme marks a decisive step for French sovereignty in terms of long-range land strikes. By leveraging mature subsystems and an industrial ramp-up that is already underway, we are able to respond with agility to the Army’s most specific needs. The close partnership with Safran Electronics & Defense, embodied in the creation of a joint venture, allows us to mobilise all the skills of our teams and our production capabilities to deliver a complete solution within optimised deadlines. I thank the DGA for its confidence in our solution and our teams.”
Alexandre Ziegler, Head of the Défence Global Business Unit at Safran Electronics & Defense, added, “This selection reflects the complementarity of our expertise with MBDA. Faced with the critical challenges of interference and denial of access to GNSS signals, Safran Electronics & Defense provides its proven leadership in inertial navigation and optronics technologies to ensure accuracy in all circumstances. I would like to thank the DGA for their renewed confidence. Safran Electronics & Defense will be able to capitalise on its expertise in the fields of guidance and navigation.”
Relying on mature subsystems, the programme already involves several dozen engineers following on from the first phase of the Innovative Partnership, and will support sustainable industrial activity at key sites of both groups by generating numerous engineering and production jobs at the two groups’ strategic sites, as well as at their subcontractors throughout France (Aquitaine, Brittany, Centre-Val de Loire, Île-de-France, Pays de la Loire, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur).
