France Commences Exclusive Negotiations with MBDA and Safran for Long‑Range Artillery System

PARIS — France has entered into “exclusive” negotiations with MBDA and Safran to acquire a new long‑range artillery system that will replace the country’s aging fleet of Lance Roquette Unitaire (LRU) launchers, Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin announced today.

“We need to collaborate more closely, combine our investments, and align our requirements. … It is essential that we bet on Europe,” Vautrin said in her opening address at Eurosatory, one of the continent’s largest defense exhibitions.

Launched in 2023, the highly anticipated program seeks to identify a successor for France’s nearly obsolete LRUs, slated for retirement as early as 2027.

Both European firms have proposed the French‑made Thundart artillery system, which the manufacturers claim has a range of 150 km (93 miles) that could extend beyond 1,000 km with the addition of the Land Cruise Missile. The system is also capable of traveling at high supersonic speeds.

MBDA and Safran carried out the first live‑fire test on April 14. An MBDA spokesperson told Breaking Defense that missile deliveries could begin as early as 2029 under the FLP‑T (Frappe Longue Portée – Terre) program.

This official announcement effectively removes other competitors, including Lockheed Martin, from consideration. Lockheed had offered an 18‑month delivery schedule if Paris selected the U.S.-made HIMARS artillery system, with the expectation of transferring a substantial portion of launchers to France in 2028 to avoid a capability gap. Lockheed Martin did not respond to a request for comment at press time.

Military experts have previously warned that delivery times could pose a challenge for France if it chooses a sovereign solution. Léo Péria‑Péigné, head of the defense research unit at IFRI, noted that the MBDA‑Thales offering is not yet in production, which could create a “problematic capability gap in long‑range fires for France.”

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