PARIS – MBDA has successfully tested its medium-range MMP missile from the remotely-operated IMPACT turret, mounted on a 4×4 vehicle, as part of the weapon’s test trials being undertaken with the French Army and the DGA procurement agency.
The test took place on the army’s proving ground at Canjuers in the south of France.
It entailed firing the missile in “fire-and-forget” mode at a target representing an armored vehicle some 3,500 meters (4,000 yards) away, which the weapon struck. The test “confirmed the precision of the aiming and ‘locking-on’ for a long-range target from the turret, as well as the quality and robustness of the guidance chain,” MBDA said in a statement.
The firing also marked the end of the development phase of the 250 kg (550 pounds) IMPACT (Integrated MMP Precision Attack Combat Turret), which is being developed by MBDA for light armored vehicles. It shares 80 percent of its components with the Mistral ATLAS RC turret but is being specifically developed to fire the MMP. Its modular architecture meets clients requests to integrate it onto their vehicles, according to the company.
Francis Bordachar, MBDA’s military advisor, said that in the next few weeks the integration and qualification of MMP on the French Army’s new Jaguar armored vehicle “will be validated by a firing campaign.”
The company has done quite a bit of testing with its MMP missile and derivatives in the past months. Executives hope to position the weapon as the go-to tank killer for French and other European forces, usable from aboard ships, helicopters and land vehicles.
Christina Mackenzie was the France correspondent for Defense News.
