On 14 April, MBDA and Nexter participated in the first lock-on firing of an MMP medium-range missile from a Jaguar armored reconnaissance and combat vehicle (EBRC).
The French defense procurement agency (DGA) carried out the firing at their Land Techniques Test Centre as part of the JAGUAR qualification. Launched from the retractable pod on the Jaguar’s turret in two-missile configuration, the MMP successfully hit its target.
The integration of MMP onto JAGUAR is being carried out in stages during qualification. This firing is the first stage, successfully demonstrating hitting a fixed target. The system will offer the capability to destroy fixed or mobile hardened land targets, including up to the latest generation of tanks. Targeting will be direct or beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS). It will also be precise and with minimal collateral damage, qualities that characterize the MMP.
MMP’s capabilities - integrated into the Jaguar’s turret by Nexter, alongside the remote controlled weapon station developed by Arquus, the Scorpion common vetronics solution developed by Thales and the 40mm cannon developed by CTAI – gives the Jaguar a key role in collaborative combat.
During this demonstration, the Optrolead PASEO battlefield surveillance sight interfaced with the missile system, offering real-time optronic acquisition by day and by night. This gives the Jaguar excellent long-range observation and identification capabilities.
Frédéric Michaud, Head of Battlefield Sector for Sales & Business Development at MBDA, said: “This firing marks an important first step of the work conducted with Nexter to develop the Jaguar turret and integrate the MMP into a weapon system built on the latest technological solutions. This two-missile turret configuration considerably expands the vehicle’s firepower.”
David Marquette, Jaguar project manager at Nexter, hailed the exceptional work of the program team on this critically important system integration project: “This marks a major milestone, demonstrating the technical skills of our teams in designing and developing an operational capability unlike any other in the world.”
MBDA is the only European defense group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air).
With a significant presence in five European countries and within the USA, in 2020 MBDA achieved revenue of 3.6 billion euros with an order book of 16.6 billion euros. In total, the group offers a range of 45 missile systems and countermeasures products already in operational service and more than 15 others currently in development.
MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%), and Leonardo (25%).
Nexter, a company of KNDS, is the French leader in land defense and the 3rd largest Europeanammunition manufacturer. Its field of activity extends to the supply of systems and munitions for airand naval forces. Nexter also provides protection systems and solutions in the field of security. Thecompany’s international growth strategy is bearing fruit, with 69% of its orders in 2019 coming fromexport customers.
In France, Nexter is fully geared to meeting the objectives of the Scorpion program, through the upgrade of the Leclerc tank, the production of the Griffon VBMR and JaguarEBRC fighting vehicles as part of a consortium with Arquus and Thales, and the development of theServal Light VBMR.
Nexter’s range ofproducts also includes the VBCI and Titus® armored vehicles, the Caesar® and 105LG1 artillerysystems, smart ammunition (BONUS), NERVA® robots and numerous equipment items as well ascustomer, support and upgrade services. The KNDS Group achieved a turnover of €2.5 billion in 2019.
