A group of leading European defense companies has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to establish the Bliksem EXO Consortium, a multinational industrial partnership that will develop a sovereign European exo-atmospheric interceptor designed to counter medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
The agreement was signed by Airbus Defence and Space, Destinus, MBDA Deutschland, Safran Electronics & Defense, and Thales during the inaugural meeting of the anti-ballistic coalition at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in Paris. The signing took place in the presence of Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
Bliksem EXO is being developed as Europe’s upper-layer missile defense capability, designed to intercept medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, including Oreshnik-class systems, during the midcourse phase of flight above the atmosphere using hit-to-kill technology without an explosive warhead.
The consortium said the system is intended to complement existing and planned lower-layer European air and missile defense systems, creating a layered defense architecture while remaining interoperable with NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) and supporting the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI).
Under the planned industrial structure, Destinus will serve as consortium lead and system integrator while developing the exo-atmospheric kill vehicle. MBDA Deutschland will provide the interceptor booster, launcher and canister, Safran Electronics & Defense will develop the seeker and guidance systems, Airbus Defence and Space will be responsible for command-and-control and battle management, and Thales will supply radar and sensor systems.
The companies also said the program will incorporate operational lessons from Ukraine’s experience in countering large-scale missile and air attacks, subject to applicable export control and security requirements.
The partners intend to finalize a binding consortium agreement within three months. Joint engineering work is scheduled to begin in August 2026, with an exo-atmospheric kill vehicle test in space planned for 2027.
According to Destinus CEO Mikhail Kokorich, the program is intended to close a critical gap in Europe’s missile defense architecture by providing a sovereign upper-layer interceptor capability against medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missile threats.