Land Combat Missile

MBDA Incorporated
Arlington, VA
703-387-7139
www.mbdainc.com

In early 2019, the DGA (French Procurement Agency) and the French Army (STAT) organized a campaign to test the MMP land combat missile in extreme cold conditions. Performed on the Swedish state firing range at Vidsel, located near the Arctic Circle with temperatures between -15°C and -30°C, the cold weather campaign of the MMP was determined to be a complete success.

Three firing scenarios, representative of the operational uses of the MMP at long range, were successfully completed. In each case the missile successfully hit its target, confirming in particular the smooth operation of the system’s image processing algorithms under typical winter and subpolar conditions (snowy background).

  • The first scenario was made in LOBL mode (Lock On Before Launch) on a vehicle moving at 70 km/h.

  • The second scenario successfully engaged a cave target in low trajectory and in LOBL mode.

  • The third scenario, using the Beyond Line Of Sight (BLOS) mode, was made using GPS coordinates transmitted by the FELIN system (French Army Digitized Soldier System). Lock-on was achieved during flight against a tank not visible from the launch position. The missile successfully struck the top of the tank.

The campaign confirmed the robustness of the equipment when it is used in extreme conditions such as negative temperatures. It also confirmed the system’s ease of use and good ergonomics, including compatibility with cold weather infantry equipment, for example, in highly demanding conditions for both the missile system and the user. The campaign was designed to complement the technical and operational evaluation of the system that was conducted by the French army and the DGA beginning with the start of deliveries at the end of 2017. The system has already been tested in hot weather conditions via a campaign carried out in Djibouti last August.

In service with the French army since 2018, the MMP is to date the only 5th generation land combat missile in the world to be deployed in military theaters of operations. 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-armor or anti-infrastructure modes. The system weighs 15 kg including the tube, is 1.3 meters long in its tactical canister, and has an effective range of more than 4,000 meters.

MMP will replace the Milan and Javelin anti-tank missiles in service with the French Army and special forces since 2017. Taking into account the battle experience gained from recent conflicts involving the French Army, MMP is an effective response to a variety of requirements such as: firing from confined spaces, “fire-and-forget”, and self-guidance with a “man-in-the-loop” facility.

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