The French Navy has successfully test-fired European multinational missile developer and manufacturer MBDA’s Naval Cruise Missiles (NCM, or Missile de Croisière Naval (MdCN)) simultaneously from both the multi-mission frigate Aquitaine and a nuclear-powered Suffren class attack submarine, a press release by the company said recently.
As part of the training exercise in April, the missiles strike the same target at the same time with pinpoint accuracy, it said.
NCM offers the ability to strike a wide range of targets with very high terminal accuracy at very long stand-off ranges. It is the only European very long-range naval cruise missile launched from both submersed submarines and surface warships, day or night in any weather conditions.
Derived from combat proven air-launched Storm Shadow/SCALP long range deep strike missiles, NCM has some specific modifications including, extended range, a new generation of GNSS capability, highly accurate time-on-target (TOT) capability and a radar cross section (RCS) reduction design. NCM offers unmatched penetration deep into hostile territory with high survivability, guaranteeing mission success.
With NCM and MBDA’s industrial capabilities, France belongs to an exclusive club of countries capable of firing cruise missiles from, and below, the surface of the sea.
MBDA is spirally developing the capabilities of NCM to keep its performance at the forefront of deep strike capability, and on its integration onto additional platforms.
The company is actively engaged in several international export campaigns for NCM, offering to its customers an outstanding cruise missile for the coming decades.
