European missile-maker MBDA has unveiled its new 227 mm Thundart artillery rocket, positioning it as a contender to replace France’s American-built M270 LRU launchers.

Revealed on 4 December, the system is being pitched jointly by MBDA and Safran for France’s Frappe longue portée terrestre (FLP-T) long-range strike programme. The opposing bid comes from a Thales–ArianeGroup consortium.

Technical details remain limited, but defence officials expect the Thundart to reach up to 150 km, with guidance architecture derived from Safran’s AASM Hammer family — combining GPS and inertial navigation, with optional infrared or laser seekers for precision strikes, including in GPS-denied environments.

A newly released photograph shows what appears to be an early test-series rocket, the first full visual confirmation of the system since a model debuted at Eurosatory 2024. Work on the rocket began in late 2023.

Under the MBDA–Safran proposal, the launcher’s fire-control system would share components with the KNDS France CAESAR howitzer, a move intended to streamline training and integration for the Armée de terre.

France plans to procure 13 launchers before 2030, followed by 26 more between 2030 and 2035. Testing and demonstrations for competing systems are scheduled to begin by mid-2026. The French procurement agency DGA will base its final decision on comparative trials; depending on results, it may choose a fully domestic solution or rely on an off-the-shelf option to speed up long-range capability upgrades.