Five European defense firms signed a Letter of Intent on 14 July 2026 to launch the Bliksem EXO Consortium, marking the sector’s first joint development of a sovereign exo-atmospheric ballistic missile interceptor. Dutch startup Destinus leads as consortium head and system integrator, while MBDA Deutschland supplies the booster and launcher, Safran provides seeker and guidance systems, Airbus Defence and Space handles command-and-control, and Thales delivers radar and sensor suites. Joint engineering begins August 2026, with the first exo-atmospheric kill vehicle test in space planned for 2027. A binding consortium agreement is expected within three months. The initiative forms the industrial pillar of the new Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition, comprising ten nations including Ukraine, and targets midcourse-phase interception outside Earth’s atmosphere to reduce reliance on U.S. Patriot systems.