At Eurosatory 2026, MBDA presented its latest approach to one of the fastest-changing challenges on the battlefield: the growing use of drones as weapons of mass attrition.
From small commercial-style quadcopters and swarms to larger tactical UAVs and Shahed-type threats, the company is developing a layered counter-UAS architecture designed to combine multiple sensors, effectors and engagement methods under a common command-and-control framework.
Speaking to Defensehere at the exhibition, Alexandre Froestier, Air Defence Domain Executive at MBDA, highlighted Sky Warden as the centrepiece of this approach.
From a single effector to a layered counter-UAS system
The changing drone threat is pushing air-defence developers away from one-size-fits-all solutions. According to Froestier, the emergence of increasingly sophisticated drones, hybrid platforms and coordinated swarms is creating a requirement for systems that can determine the appropriate response according to the threat.
MBDA’s answer is Sky Warden, a scalable counter-UAS command-and-control architecture designed to bring together different sensors and effectors. At its core is a data-fusion capability that builds a common air picture and supports threat evaluation and weapon assignment, or TEWA.
This allows the system to classify and track threats before selecting the most appropriate effector. The architecture is designed to cover a broad spectrum of targets, from micro-drones through tactical UAVs and loitering munitions.
Rather than relying exclusively on missiles or kinetic weapons, MBDA is integrating several technologies into the architecture, including electronic and kinetic solutions as well as directed energy.
Bringing multiple effectors together
One element of the company’s existing air-defence portfolio is the LICORNE C2, developed to coordinate very short-range air-defence assets, including Mistral-equipped platforms.
At Eurosatory, MBDA demonstrated how this established architecture is evolving toward the broader counter-UAS mission. The company sees Mistral as one layer of the defence network rather than a universal answer to every drone threat.
The Mistral family is also being evolved to address newer target sets, including Shahed-type threats and surface drones, extending the range of missions that can be handled by existing air-defence assets.
For smaller drones, however, the economics and operational requirements call for different solutions.
Laser and hit-to-kill technologies
MBDA is therefore developing lower-cost and potentially reusable approaches for defeating micro and mini drones.
The company has been involved in laser development through its partnership with French laser specialist CILAS, with high-energy laser technology forming another potential layer within the Sky Warden architecture.
The concept is particularly relevant against multiple small drones, where using a conventional missile for every engagement could be disproportionate to the threat.
Another approach is the Hit-to-Kill (HTK) interceptor being developed with French drone specialist Novadem. Instead of carrying an explosive warhead, the interceptor defeats its target through kinetic impact.
The architecture is designed for engaging micro and mini drones while limiting the risk of collateral effects, an important consideration when counter-UAS systems are deployed around populated areas or critical infrastructure.
Countering larger and more complex threats
At the other end of the spectrum, MBDA is also expanding its counter-UAS portfolio through cooperation with French company Alta Ares.
The partnership brings additional interceptors into the company’s layered approach, including X-Lock, a short-range interceptor designed to address larger threats such as Shahed-136-type drones, and FURY, a fixed-wing interceptor designed around a different target set and mission profile.
The objective is not simply to add more interceptors, but to integrate different effectors into a coherent defensive architecture.
That distinction is increasingly important as counter-UAS requirements move from isolated systems toward integrated networks capable of handling multiple threats simultaneously.
From battlefield experience to deployable systems
The rapid evolution of drone warfare has also created a new challenge for defence companies: technologies proven in one operational environment cannot necessarily be transferred directly to another.
MBDA is therefore combining lessons from operationally focused drone developers with its own experience in missile development, systems engineering and air-defence integration.
The company says this approach is intended to adapt emerging counter-drone technologies to different operational concepts, safety requirements and regulatory environments across Europe and the Middle East.
For MBDA, the direction is clear: future counter-UAS defence will depend less on a single weapon and more on the ability to connect sensors, decision-making tools and multiple effectors into one responsive system.
With Sky Warden providing the command-and-control layer, MBDA is positioning its counter-UAS portfolio around that principle—creating a network capable of selecting the right response to the right threat, from the smallest drone to larger unmanned systems.