On 8th April 2014, the French DGA (Direction Générale
de l'Armement) successfully carried out the second qualification firing
of the naval cruise missile (MdCN or Missile de Croisière Naval)
currently under development by MBDA. The firing, which took place at
the DGA’s Biscarrosse missile test centre (situated in the department
of Landes in South West France) , was representative of a firing from
a frigate and demonstrated the missile’s flight capabilities at
high altitude. |
This
success, which once more confirms the advanced technical nature of the
missile, is the result of intense activity and the coordinated efforts
of a number of state bodies (notably, the DGA’s Quality Control
Department and its Test and Evaluation Centres as well as the French
Navy) and industry (MBDA France).
Towards the end of 2014, MdCN will equip the French Navy’s multi-mission
frigates (FREMM) and, in around the 2018 timeframe, its Barracuda submarines.
Featuring a range of several hundred kilometers, MdCN is intended for
strikes against targets deep within enemy territory. It complements
the SCALP air-launched cruise missile from which it is derived.
Carried on combat vessels positioned for lengthy periods at a safe distance
in international waters, either overtly (on frigates) or discretely
(on submarines), MdCN is designed to carry out missions calling for
the destruction of high value strategic targets.
The MdCN contract was notified to MBDA by the DGA at the end of 2006. |
