MBDA and Safran Electronics & Defense have unveiled Thundart, a French-developed guided rocket system designed to succeed the Army’s Lance-Roquette Unitaire (LRU) launchers under the FLP-T (Frappe Longue Portée – Terre) program. The system, described as a fully sovereign solution, is expected to conduct demonstration firings in mid-2026 and could achieve operational readiness before 2030.
Presented for the first time at Eurosatory 2024, Thundart aims to ensure France retains an independent deep-strike capability as its nine remaining LRU systems approach obsolescence from 2027.
Sovereign, ITAR-free long-range rocket
According to MBDA, Thundart will be a new-generation guided rocket with a range of around 150 kilometers, optimized for high-intensity operations and designed from the outset to be ITAR-free, enabling unrestricted exports. Production is planned across French industrial sites in the Centre-Val-de-Loire region.
Safran brings a guidance package derived from the AASM/HAMMER family, while fire-control logic will draw on the interface of CAESAR howitzers and connect to the ATLAS command-and-control system already used by the French Army.
This integration ensures that Thundart can fit seamlessly into France’s existing fires network without major reconfiguration.
Thunderous competition
The FLP-T program, launched by the General Directorate for Armaments (DGA) in 2023, seeks to field a new generation of land-based long-range strike systems. It forms part of France’s broader deep-strike effort outlined in the 2024-2030 Military Programming Law.
Thundart joins Turgis Gaillard’s Foudre among the main contenders for the FLP-T program.
Unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2025, Foudre is a modular launcher capable of firing guided rockets up to 75 kilometers and missiles between 150 and 1,000 kilometers in range. The company recently partnered with Airbus Defence and Space to integrate the European Fire Control System (EFCS), already in French service on the LRU.
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