“MBDA Consortium Triumphs in Securing France’s LARINAE Initiative”

The French defense innovation organization AID (Agence de l’Innovation de Défense) has revealed the selection of a consortium headed by MBDA in response to the LARINAE call for initiatives. The aim of LARINAE is the swift and cooperative development of a remotely-controlled munition capable of neutralizing a fortified target within a fifty-kilometer radius.

Building on the triumph of the inaugural COLIBRI call for initiatives, MBDA has reaffirmed its status in the realm of remotely-operated munitions with the selection of its MUTANT concept, based on a “Minimum Viable Product” methodology and focused on user requirements. This showcases MBDA’s commitment to an agile strategy, addressing the demand for a rapid, innovative, and sovereign solution for military forces.

This newly developed guided munition benefits from technologies honed by MBDA over numerous years, particularly the AKERON family, to ensure exceptionally high levels of efficiency in subduing armored and mobile targets, while maintaining operational reliability and total safety.

MUTANT also leverages the latest technological breakthroughs in the domain of civilian and military UAVs to create a munition with optimal cost/performance balance.

Engineered as a genuine man-in-the-loop weapon system, this solution will provide complementary capabilities to ground-based combat missiles regarding targeting speed, maneuverability, endurance, range, and enemy saturation potential. This remotely-controlled munition, with its capability to engage beyond visual range, serves as a natural complement to MBDA’s array of battlefield effectors such as the AKERON MP and LP.

The consortium adheres to French Ministerial Instruction 1618, which permits collaboration with the armed forces and the DGA, to establish the best compromise between requirements and solutions, guaranteeing a swift and effective answer to the needs of military forces.

The ambitious demonstrations slated for 2024 under the LARINAE contract will benefit from the self-funded efforts undertaken by MBDA since 2022, which have already enabled the initial flights of the MUTANT MTO with the SME Delair. These advancements will facilitate even quicker progress and adjustments to the requirements of this new capability.