“MBDA Unveils Groundbreaking ‘One-Way’ Drone to Revolutionize Air Defense Strategies”
MBDA has launched an innovative one-way effector drone engineered to provoke and unveil enemy air defense systems for follow-up strikes. Revealed at the 2025 Paris Air Show, this state-of-the-art drone is positioned as a crucial component in modern long-range assault operations.
The drone is outfitted with a 40-kilogram (88-pound) warhead, a weight purposefully chosen to force adversary defense systems to engage and neutralize it. Powered by a jet engine, it features an operational range of 500 kilometers (311 miles), enabling it to penetrate deeply into hostile zones. Designed for salvo launch scenarios, the effector’s core mission is to identify the positions of adversarial systems and disrupt their layered defenses.
MBDA stated, “The latest effector is intended to prompt even the most sophisticated air defenses to disclose their locations, making them easier to spot and eliminate, alongside various long-range strike platforms.”
Mass Production and Lessons from the Ukraine Situation
This groundbreaking saturation drone directly reflects lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine, where the extensive use of low-cost drones has become a pivotal element in high-intensity warfare.
To enable large-scale production, MBDA is collaborating with drone and automobile manufacturers. This strategic partnership leverages civilian supply chains and industrial methodologies to rapidly enhance output, representing a notable shift from traditional, often sluggish, weapon fabrication methods. This evolution allows for quick, high-volume production to satisfy urgent operational demands.
MBDA revealed that this innovative production approach could generate up to 1,000 effectors each month. “MBDA has already demonstrated its ability to scale production, and continues to adapt through the development of new effectors that meet the demand for mass, thanks to unique partnerships with the civilian industry,” commented MBDA CEO Eric Beranger.
Flight testing for the new effector drone is set to begin this autumn, with initial production shipments anticipated by 2027.
