MBDA at the forefront of innovation in response to emerging threats.

On 13 March 2024, MBDA convened its yearly press briefing in Paris, where the CEO divulged the corporation's achievements for the preceding year and provided insights into future strategies amidst escalating demand and global complexities.
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The launcher carries eight MBDA CAMM air defense missiles (Picture source: Army Recognition)

MBDA held its annual press conference in Paris on 13 March 2024. The company’s CEO shared the Group results for 2023 with some insight into tackling future challenges in the face of growing demand in a complex international context.

Eric Béranger, CEO of MBDA, said: “MBDA was created out of a need for greater European cooperation, a fundamental component of its DNA. The company grew to become a worldwide leader in its field. The challenge now is to keep on adapting to an evolving environment, while continuing to foster cooperation, notably at the European level. To be battle-ready when asked to answer the new demands of our customers, their armed forces and their allies. To help ensure their sovereignty in a global environment where force is increasingly challenging international rights.”

In 2023, major domestic contracts signed included the order of Aster missiles for France and Italy, Akeron MP and Mistral 3 for France, Enforcer – which entered serial production at the end of 2023 – for Germany, CAMM-ER for Italy, the evolution of Sea Viper for the UK and Mistral 3 for Spain. At export, MBDA booked significant orders in Europe, notably with major contracts for CAMM in Poland and Sweden, and the mid-life refurbishment of SCALP missiles for Greece. The events unfolding last year on the international scene proved again the need for fully comprehensive defence solutions and a multi-layered Air Defence, for which cooperation successes like Aster or CAMM missiles are revealing instrumental. Current theatres of conflict in the world are also revealing new warfare trends like the use of drones. A trend MBDA identified early on and created Sky Warden, its flagship solution addressing the full range of unmanned aerial systems threats.

With the threats evolving rapidly, innovation and preparation for the future remain priorities at MBDA. To be ready to face new threats and be present in new domains of conflict. The future of deep strikes is progressing, with Italy joining France and the UK in developing FC/ASW. MBDA is leading Hydis, a consortium involving 14 European countries developing Aquila, to face the emergence of hypersonic effectors. Not forgetting AI solutions applied to Collaborative combat, which Orchestrike, MBDA’s Collaborative Combat Effectors demonstration, has shown. The company also took major steps with directed energy weapons. DragonFire in the UK, the Laser Weapon Demonstrator (LWD) in Germany and Cilas in France. Finally, Space, a new domain where there is a need to safeguard strategic assets and have the ability to complete missions from Earth. Hence, MBDA’s recent participation in the AsterX exercise.

To remain a trusted partner of its customers, MBDA continues to anticipate and adapt swiftly. That is why the company is ramping up its production, with significant increases in the production rates of Akeron MP, Aster, Brimstone, CAMM, Enforcer, Exocet, MICA and Mistral while also investing in the future. MBDA also uses all leverage at its disposal at a European level, having always supported the European Commission and the European agenda for Defence, and now welcoming the European Defence Industrial Strategy and its future implementation.

From 2023 to 2028, MBDA is investing an unprecedented 2.4 billion euros at the Group level, and planning to hire more than 2,600 new people in 2024. Financially, MBDA reported a total revenue of €4.5 billion for 2023, with an order intake setting a new record at €9.9 billion, and a backlog of orders valued at €28 billion, indicating a robust and growing demand for its defense solutions.

Defense News March 2024