DSEI 2025: MBDA highlights new dual STRATUS capability for deep strike and fast response missions.

At DSEI 2025 in London, MBDA presents STRATUS as the new name for the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon programme, marking an important stage in European missile development. The unveiling takes place at the company’s booth on 10 September, attended by UK Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry Luke Pollard and French DGA Armament General Engineer Gaël Diaz De Tuesta. The event highlights the transition of the programme towards its development phase, underlining the joint work carried out between partner nations.
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The STRATUS LO, previously known as TP15, adopts a low observable design with shaping and materials intended to reduce radar cross-section and enhance penetration in heavily defended airspaces. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The new missile family is introduced in two configurations. STRATUS LO, previously known as TP15, adopts a low observable design with shaping and materials intended to reduce radar cross-section and enhance penetration in heavily defended airspaces. It is tailored for missions requiring discretion and survivability, particularly in deep strike operations. STRATUS RS, formerly RJ10, is optimised for rapid strike missions, relying on high speed and manoeuvrability to overwhelm enemy defences and strike mobile or time-sensitive targets.

Both designs share a modular architecture, are compatible with air, sea and land launch platforms, and are conceived to carry advanced guidance, navigation and targeting systems capable of operating in GPS-denied or electronically contested environments. Their mission set extends from long-range precision strikes to anti-ship warfare, as well as suppression and destruction of enemy air defences and the neutralisation of high-value assets.

MBDA stresses that the missiles are designed to operate in denied environments. The approach combines survivability based on high speed and manoeuvrability with the benefits of low observability, ensuring flexibility in contested battlespaces and future high-intensity conflicts. The decision to pursue two complementary designs aims to cover a broad spectrum of operational scenarios while maintaining commonality within the programme.

The company underlines that the programme’s maturity is the result of sustained Franco-British and Italian cooperation. More than 750 engineers across MBDA are currently working on STRATUS. The conclusion of the assessment phase has validated the technologies required, allowing progress towards the development stage. This joint work reflects MBDA’s cooperative framework, which has been at the core of its most ambitious projects.

During the presentation, MBDA executives emphasise that STRATUS represents a continuity in European efforts to strengthen sovereignty in defence capabilities. The programme is presented as an example of multinational cooperation, with France, the United Kingdom and Italy pooling resources and technological expertise to achieve common strategic goals.

As the STRATUS programme advances into the next phase, it consolidates MBDA’s position as a central player in European missile development. The dual approach of rapid strike and low observable variants illustrates the company’s intent to respond to diverse operational challenges. Given the broad mission set and the involvement of three major European armed forces, STRATUS is likely to see widespread adoption in the coming years, reinforcing its proliferation within NATO-aligned defence structures.

Written by Matt Delvoye - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition

Matt Delvoye holds degrees in political science from the University of Liège and the University of Brussels, with a specialization in international relations as well as defense and security policy. He works as a defense analyst at Army Recognition, where he covers international defense events and provides daily reporting on military equipment and industry developments.