A group of five European countries have signed a framework agreement to jointly acquire the Mistral 3 air defense missile.
The French defense procurement agency will carry out the acquisition on behalf of Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, and France from MBDA.
The agreement provides an improved acquisition process to the partner nations, with additional countries expected to join soon, the agency said.
Over 1,500 missiles are expected to be acquired.
“This cooperation is a major step forward in strengthening the defense capabilities of the European Union and its member states, contributing to collective security and sovereignty,” CEO of MBDA Eric Beranger said.
“This agreement will drive efficiencies and enhance the resilience of the European defense industrial base.”
Mistral 3
The Mistral is a very short range air defense missile used with a range of ground vehicles, surface ships, helicopters, as well as in a portable configuration.
The fire-and-forget missile features an infrared imaging seeker and advanced image processing capabilities and has a range of 8 kilometers (5 miles).
It has a stated success rate of 96 percent and can engage a range of targets with low thermal signatures, such as drones, turbojet-powered missiles, and fast attack craft from long distances.
