Thread by @aidefranceukr

.@MBDAGroup is going to work with a car manufacturer to help produce its new long-range missile. This capability, which can overwhelm enemy defences, is intended for production of up to 1,000 units per month, or more if necessary.

lejdd.fr/Societe/info-j…

The One Way Effector is a missile with a range of 500 kilometres. The aim of this collaboration is to leverage the expertise of the automotive industry in mass production, an area in which the defence industry remains poorly structured.

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“The automotive industry has a perfect mastery of large-scale production, which is becoming essential in the current context.” — @MBDAGroup

This partnership should enable MBDA to reach an important industrial milestone. The group has been under increasing pressure to meet production deadlines for over a year.

In early 2024, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, publicly expressed his dissatisfaction on several occasions, particularly regarding the production rates of the Aster 30 missile, which did not meet the government’s expectations despite the commitments made.

In response, MBDA made significant investments, including placing advance orders for special steels and building up stocks of titanium for several thousand missiles, while also gradually ramping up assembly lines.

However, the classic model is no longer sufficient. With the “One Way Effector”, MBDA is focusing on a simpler, lower-cost missile that can be produced quickly and in large volumes.

The development of the One Way Effector responds to a demand from Western armed forces for a complement to high-precision missiles that is capable of saturating enemy defences and meeting the operational constraints of a high-intensity conflict.

Officially launching the project at the Paris Air Show, MBDA represents a paradigm shift in its industrial approach. The partnership with the automotive industry is the first milestone and could lead to further collaborations.

For now, MBDA’s primary objective is to produce quickly, in large quantities and reliably. Following months of public criticism of production rates, MBDA is keen to demonstrate its adaptability.

opexnews.fr/mbda-missile-o…