ORLEANS, France — European missile manufacturer MBDA is expanding its production capacity in France with plans to build a new missile production facility in Artenay, in the Loiret department near Orleans.
MBDA is purchasing a 40-hectare industrial site, roughly twice the size of its main facility at Bourges Aeroport. The project is part of MBDA’s €5 billion investment program for 2026–2030, under which the company aims to increase total missile production in France by six times compared with 2023 levels by the end of the decade.
Production to Start in 2027
MBDA plans a phased approach. From early 2027, it will lease and retrofit industrial premises in the nearby Ormes/Artenay area that were previously used by wind-turbine manufacturer Vergnet, which entered liquidation in early 2026.
The temporary facility will allow initial component production to begin while construction of the new site continues. The main Orleans facility is scheduled to become fully operational in 2030 and will use robotics and automation to improve mechanical assembly and component handling.
Aster and MICA Components
The new plant will focus mainly on mechanical production and structural components for MBDA’s Aster and MICA missile families.
The Aster 15 and Aster 30, developed by France and Italy through Eurosam, are used in naval and land-based air-defense systems, including SAMP/T. They are deployed by France, Italy and the United Kingdom, including aboard French and Italian naval vessels and British Type 45 destroyers. SAMP/T systems have also been supplied to Ukraine.
The MICA family includes infrared and radio-frequency versions used by aircraft such as the Rafale and Mirage 2000, while VL MICA provides ground- and sea-based air-defense capability. Both missile families have experienced increased demand, including from the war in Ukraine.
Selles-Saint-Denis to Continue Pyrotechnic Work
Explosive production, warhead loading and other pyrotechnic activities will remain at MBDA’s existing facility in Selles-Saint-Denis, Loir-et-Cher. The site is also planned for further development of its integration and storage infrastructure.
The Orleans expansion will complement capacity increases already underway at Bourges and other MBDA facilities.
Orleans Selected for Space, Workforce and Logistics
MBDA said the expansion outside Bourges is linked to limited space and constraints on the local labor pool at its existing sites. Orleans offers a logistics position between MBDA’s headquarters and development centers in Le Plessis-Robinson and its manufacturing sites in Centre-Val de Loire. The area also has an established industrial base in precision mechanics, metallurgy and defense-related manufacturing.
Recruitment is expected to begin with several dozen operators and technicians in 2027, potentially reaching several hundred employees as production increases.
MBDA has already doubled overall missile output between 2023 and 2025 and is targeting a further 40 percent increase in 2026.
MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%) and Leonardo (25%). More than €2 billion of its €5 billion European investment program is allocated to French facilities, with roughly three-quarters concentrated in the Centre-Val de Loire industrial corridor.
——— End of Article ———
