PARIS, — France’s Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) has selected MBDA and Safran Electronics & Defense to provide the French Army with THUNDART, a new sovereign long-range land-strike system designed to replace the country’s aging Unitary Rocket Launcher (LRU) fleet.
The system is being developed for tactical deep-strike missions in high-intensity conflicts and contested environments. Designed, developed and produced in France, THUNDART is intended to give the French Armed Forces full autonomy of use by 2030.
150 km Range and Eight-Rocket Launcher
THUNDART will provide a precision strike range of up to 150 kilometers, roughly twice the 70-80 km range of France’s current LRU systems. The LRU fleet consists of modernized American M270 launchers, some of which have been transferred to Ukraine, while the remaining systems are approaching the end of their service lives.
The THUNDART launcher is based on an armored, off-road-capable 8x8 Scania truck chassis. It features an integrated two-axis turret and fire-control system carrying two munition pods, each with four guided rockets, for a total of eight rockets.
The rockets carry a 100-kilogram-class warhead and are designed to travel at high-supersonic speed. The launcher also has autonomous loading and unloading capabilities to support rapid firing and relocation.
Designed to Operate Without GNSS
One of THUNDART’s main features is its ability to operate when GNSS signals are jammed or denied.
Safran Electronics & Defense is providing guidance and navigation technology derived from its AASM Hammer precision munition. The system combines inertial navigation with laser and infrared capabilities to maintain metric precision when satellite navigation is unavailable.
THUNDART will also be natively integrated with the French Army’s ATLAS fire management system. Its rocket propulsion is supplied by Roxel, an MBDA subsidiary.
The system is designed to be fully ITAR-free, supporting France’s objective of maintaining sovereign control over the capability without reliance on U.S. export-controlled components.
Development and Joint Venture
The DGA launched the Frappe Longue Portée Terrestre (FLP-T) programme in 2023 to develop a sovereign replacement for the LRU. Exclusive negotiations with the MBDA-Safran team began in June 2026.
An initial development phase culminated in a successful demonstration firing on 14 April 2026 at the DGA’s Île du Levant test range.
MBDA and Safran will establish a 50/50 joint venture in the Paris region, expected to be created in early 2027. The company will manage THUNDART’s development, production and in-service support, as well as future upgrades, adaptations for other environments and potential allied export versions.
Safran Electronics & Defense Defense Global Business Unit Head Alexandre Ziegler said the programme combines the companies’ expertise, particularly Safran’s capabilities in inertial navigation and optronics for operations in GNSS-denied environments.
MBDA France Executive Vice President Programmes and Managing Director Stéphane Reb said the programme uses mature subsystems and an industrial ramp-up already underway to respond to the French Army’s requirements.
Planned Fleet and French Industrial Work
Under France’s 2024-2030 Military Programming Law (LPM), planning calls for at least 13 THUNDART systems by 2030. Longer-term projections refer to up to 26 systems and around 300 munitions by 2035. The contract value and exact quantities of launchers and munitions have not been disclosed.
The programme already involves several dozen engineers and is expected to support engineering and production activity across France. Work will involve MBDA, Safran and subcontractors in Aquitaine, Brittany, Centre-Val de Loire, Île-de-France, Pays de la Loire and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
Safran is developing the launcher with industrial partners including Scania France, CMAR and Essonne.
Future options include extended-range variants and potential air-launched or naval adaptations. THUNDART is being developed as a French and European long-range strike system focused on precision, sovereign production and operation in contested environments.
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