France selects THUNDART for long-range land strike

France has selected the THUNDART system from MBDA and Safran Electronics & Defense to provide the French Army with a new sovereign long-range land strike capability and replace the existing Unitary Rocket Launcher, according to the companies.

The French Defence Procurement Agency, the DGA, has notified the programme following an initial development phase which included a successful demonstration firing in April 2026. THUNDART is intended to provide precision strike at long range in high-intensity and heavily contested environments, with the system designed, developed and produced in France.

MBDA and Safran say the programme is also intended to give the French Armed Forces full autonomy of use by 2030, reducing reliance on foreign-controlled technologies for a capability regarded as increasingly important in European land warfare. The two companies will establish a 50/50 joint venture in the Paris region to take the programme forward. It will oversee development, production and in-service support, as well as future upgrades and potential adaptation of the system for other environments and export customers.

Safran’s contribution includes navigation and optronics technology intended to allow the weapon to retain accuracy where access to satellite navigation is disrupted or denied.

Alexandre Ziegler, Head of the Defense Global Business Unit at Safran Electronics & Defense, said: “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.”

He added: “I would like to thank the DGA for their renewed confidence. THUNDART will provide our armed forces with a decisive and sovereign tactical advantage.”

The programme is intended to replace France’s LRU, or Lance-Roquettes Unitaire, as the Army moves to restore and expand its ability to conduct tactical deep strikes from land.

MBDA said the project would draw on mature subsystems while industrial preparations were already being put in place ahead of production.

Stéphane Reb, Executive Vice President Programmes and Managing Director of MBDA France, said: “The notification of the THUNDART programme marks a decisive step for French sovereignty in terms of long-range land strikes.”

He added: “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.”