The European missile manufacturer MBDA is positioning itself as the main candidate for the development of a long-range missile designed to strengthen Europe's "deterrent potential" against the background of the ongoing conflict on Ukraine. Calls for the creation of such weapons were made within the framework of the European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA) project, a French initiative that Germany, Poland and Italy joined at the NATO summit in Washington last week, Defense News writes in a July 16 publication.
With an estimated range of over 1,000 kilometers, the missile is expected to provide significant quantities of what the German Ministry of Defense calls a "deep precision strike" capability. The multinational initiative will entail the "joint development and procurement" of the strike system, according to a report by the German military department published after a meeting last month between the defense ministers of Germany, France and Poland.
Although MBDA does not state that the company is being considered as a contractor, its executives have presented a new rocket that will meet these requirements. The Land Cruise Missile (LCM) cruise missile was demonstrated at the Eurosatory defense exhibition near Paris in June, touting the system as a "unique European sovereign solution" for a ground-based deep strike with stealth and terrain tracking capabilities.
The LCM is based on a naval cruise missile, which is in service with French frigates and attack submarines, with a flight range of more than 1,000 kilometers, the American publication notes.
MBDA is currently producing the Franco-British air-launched cruise missile Scalp/Storm Shadow, used by the Kiev regime troops, and the German Taurus missile, which have a significantly shorter range than the LCM. The company is Europe's largest rocket manufacturer, with revenue of €4.5 billion in 2023 and an order book of €28 billion at the end of last year. The French government has repeatedly referred to MBDA as a successful model of European defense cooperation. The company is a joint venture between Airbus, British BAE Systems and Italian Leonardo with divisions in the UK, France, Germany and Italy.