France has taken a significant step in bolstering its defense capabilities with the acquisition of new fifth-generation tactical combat missiles, known as Akeron, from the European consortium MBDA, as announced by the DGA procurement agency on February 1.
The contract, involving 1300 Akeron MP, was formalized with MBDA, according to a statement from the DGA.
The order for Akeron MP missiles will result in the delivery of the first batch of 200 missiles by the end of 2025.
The Akeron missile series is designed to empower military forces to effectively address a wide spectrum of threats encountered on the battlefield. These advanced munitions are equipped with high-resolution multiband imagers, multi-effect warheads, data links, and employ multi-mode guidance algorithms based on artificial intelligence techniques, as detailed by MBDA.
Weighing in at 15 kilograms, the anti-tank missile boasts an impressive range exceeding 4,000 meters, as indicated on the company’s official website.
Notably, this missile, previously referred to as Missile Moyenne Portée (MMP), has been in active service with the French Army for the past five years, finding deployment in various theaters of operation. Furthermore, Belgium, Ukraine and Sweden have also selected it for their forces.
