MBDA today announced that on 3rd November 2011, NAMSA (the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency) awarded it the contract for the destruction of 36,000 complex munitions.

Under this contract MBDA, calling on its wealth of experience in the missiles and missile systems domain, undertakes to establish within two years and within national territory a facility to process classified munitions in accordance with the very strict regulations that apply to defence safety; namely operational reliability and respect for the environment. In particular, MBDA will be responsible for the disposal before 2017 of more than 1,000 missiles, 22,000 M26 rockets (the rockets formerly deployed in Multi Launch Rocket Systems or MLRSs), each containing 644 sub-munitions, and 13,000 155-mm grenade shells, each containing 63 sub-munitions – hence more than 15 million sub-munitions.

The munition processing plant will be installed at MBDA’s Bourges Subdray site in central France. This activity represents an investment of around €12 million and should create about 20 direct jobs.

In order to win the contract and establish a high added value facility in France, MBDA has brought together the best skills available on the market - with ESPLODENTI SABINO and AID in Italy, and NAMMO in Norway.

MBDA's Chief Executive Officer Antoine Bouvier said: "The demilitarisation of complex weapons has become a new strategic activity for MBDA. This fits in perfectly with our determination to establish close and sustainable partnerships with our domestic and export customers. These customers not only require guaranteed availability and sustained support for their equipment, but also that we ensure the safe end of life disposal of their complex weapons as well".