France selects Thundart as domestic successor to M270 MLRS

The French government has selected the supplier of a new multiple rocket launcher for the French Army (Fr. Armée de Terre). The Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans (Fr. Ministère des Armées et des Anciens combattants) and the Directorate General of Armaments (Fr. Direction générale de l’armement) will enter into exclusive negotiations with the MBDA-Safran consortium. This means that the new artillery system will be based on the Thundart launcher and missile, developed in France without the use of imported components. The information, announced by Minister Catherine Vautrin in her opening speech at the Eurosatory defense industry exhibition in Paris, was cited by Reuters.     

M270 replacement

Thundart will replace the Lance-roquettes unitaire (LRU) rocket launchers, the French variant of the American M270 MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System). France joined the M270 programme back in the 1980s, initially acquiring 57 vehicles. The LRU is a modernized variant of the system. Only 13 vehicles were rebuilt to this standard, while the 44 original M270s were withdrawn from service. Today, only 9 LRUs remain in service with the 1st Artillery Regiment (Fr. 1er régiment d’artillerie), based in Bourogne in eastern France. In 2022–23, 4 vehicles were transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The French LRUs are to be withdrawn from service by the end of 2027.      

The Frappe longue portée – terrestre programme (FLP-t), whose aim is to develop and field a successor to the LRU, was launched in 2023. Two French consortia were invited to participate: ArianeGroup-Thales and MBDA-Safran. During the FLP-t research-and-development phase, solutions proposed by both groups were evaluated. In mid-April, MBDA and Safran conducted the first live-fire trial with the Thundart missile. Two weeks later, the FLPt-150 rocket developed by ArianeGroup-Thales was launched. Both trials took place at the DGA test center on Île du Levant off France’s southern coast. According to available information, both firings were successful.    

French HIMARS

At the Eurosatory exhibition, held on 15–19 June, a demonstrator has been unveiled of the launcher that will fire MBDA-Safran Thundart missiles. The „French HIMARS” received an off-road Scania chassis with an 8x8 drive configuration and an armored cab prepared by Essonne Sécurité. The launcher module has an open architecture. It is also fitted with an automatic loading and unloading system for two transport-launch containers. Each pod holds four missiles. The competing X-Fire system from Thales and Soframe has an enclosed design, closer to that of the LRU. The launcher is compatible with the ATLAS fire-control system used by the Armée de Terre.     

The Thundart guided missile has a range of 150 km and reaches supersonic cruise speed. The missile’s caliber and warhead weight have not yet been disclosed. Rocket motors are supplied by Roxel, an MBDA subsidiary. The seeker and guidance head uses solutions derived from Safran AASM guided air-to-surface bombs (Fr. Armement Air-Sol Modulaire), which have been used in combat in Ukraine and are being produced on an increasing scale. According to MBDA, the missile is to provide the capability to conduct precision strikes against stationary and moving targets in a satellite-navigation signal-contested environment. Production is to take place in France’s Centre-Val de Loire region, using exclusively European components.     

The FLP-t programme

The FLP-t programme envisages the acquisition of 13 to 26 launchers and at least 300 guided rockets for the Armée de Terre. However, as requirements evolve, an increase in the order or the integration of new effectors with the French system cannot be ruled out. Various weapons intended for rocket launchers are under development at several national branches of MBDA. MBDA Deutschland is working on the Joint Fire Support Missile (JFS-M) cruise missile, while MBDA UK is developing the Land Precision Strike (LPS) multipurpose guided missile. This suggests that, from the outset, the Thundart system will offer considerable modernization potential.   

The decision to enter negotiations with the MBDA-Safran consortium puts an end to all speculation that Paris was considering the purchase of foreign weapon systems that would serve in the Armée de Terre as an interim solution until the introduction into service of the final French-made equipment. Among the potential alternatives to the development of domestic equipment — including the Foudre launcher demonstrator developed by Turgis & Gaillard — systems such as the K239 Chunmoo from the Republic of Korea, India’s Pinaka, and the US M142 HIMARS had been mentioned. The MBDA-Safran press office says the first delivery of new Thundart launchers could take place in 2029, around one year after the planned retirement date of the LRU system.