ArianeGroup and Thales carried out the first flight test of the FLP-t 150 ballistic munition last week at the DGA Essais de Missiles range on the Île du Levant off France’s Mediterranean coast. The test, supported by France’s defense procurement agency DGA, validated the architecture, propulsion, and guidance systems of the guided rocket, which has an operational range exceeding 150 kilometers.
The announcement follows a test of the competing MBDA-Safran Thundart rocket on April 14, 2026, at the same site. The FLP-t 150 operates at the upper end of conventional artillery systems, reaching apogees of several tens of kilometers with largely supersonic velocities.
ArianeGroup led propulsion and guidance development, drawing from its M51 submarine-launched ballistic missile expertise. Thales handled the overall system, including fire control and the X-Fire ground launcher developed with Soframe. The munition employs rear-mounted fin guidance for terminal maneuvers, maintaining accuracy in GNSS-jammed environments.
The X-Fire launcher will undergo its first demonstration firings before the end of May 2026. Both the FLP-t 150 and Thundart systems are fully French-designed and free of ITAR restrictions. The final commercial designation for the FLP-t 150 is set for disclosure at the Eurosatory exhibition in Paris in June 2026, ahead of the DGA’s selection decision.