France Taps MBDA-Led Consortium for Remote-Controlled Ammunition Program
France has selected MBDA to lead a consortium supporting the country’s LARINAE remote-controlled ammunition program.
LARINAE seeks the rapid development of a weapon that can be operated remotely and intercept armored threats within a radius of 50 kilometers (31 miles).
MBDA was selected for the initiative through its MUTANT concept, a “Minimum Viable Product” approach to meet the “rapid, innovative, and sovereign” standards of the partner militaries.
The company will leverage its experience in propelled and guided munition development, including the AKERON missile family, to produce a solution for the LARINAE program.
The effort’s resulting capability is expected to have enhanced performance in neutralizing armored and mobile targets, while sustaining safety and operational reliability for its users.
“Designed as a true man-in-the-loop weapon system, this solution will offer complementary capabilities to land-based combat missiles in terms of targeting speed, manoeuvrability, endurance, range and enemy saturation capability,” MBDA stated.
“This remotely controlled ammunition, with its ability to strike beyond line-of-sight, is a natural complement to MBDA’s portfolio of battlefield effectors such as the AKERON MP and LP.”
Tests Next Year
Throughout the program, the MBDA-led consortium will work according to French Ministerial Instruction 1618, allowing participating companies to collaborate with the French defense procurement agency and the armed forces for an effective technology.
Demonstrations for the remote ammunition are scheduled for 2024.
“The first demonstrations of these remotely-operated munitions will provide knowledge of the capabilities of these types of solutions from a technical and operational point of view, as well as aspects relating to implementation safety,” the French Defence Innovation Agency (AID) stated.
LARINAE Surveillance Drone
Alongside the MBDA team, a separate LARINAE group will focus on producing a 10-kilogram vertical take-off and landing drone for associated ammunition logistics and deployment.
The second team comprises Nexter, EOS Technology, and TRAAK.
“This endurance-friendly solution will make it possible to explore long-term surveillance use cases (3 hours), in a possibly larger environment, and without necessarily having a GPS signal,” AID said.
