French defense firms MBDA and Safran have successfully conducted the first test firing of their Thundart rocket, developed for the nation’s Long-Range Land Strike program.
The ground-to-ground munition was fired on April 14 at the Île du Levant test range in the Mediterranean. Thundart features a 150-kilometer range, high supersonic speed, and a 100-kilogram payload. It incorporates propulsion from MBDA’s Roxel unit and an adapted AASM guidance kit from Safran, including inertial navigation, laser, and infrared options. The rocket resists electronic warfare and exceeds the range of France’s current LRU system.
Mounted on an eight-wheel Scania truck, the launcher carries up to eight rockets and supports shoot-and-scoot operations for rapid repositioning. Fully designed and produced in France, Thundart connects to the Army’s ATLAS fire control system, adapted from Safran’s CAESAR howitzer design. The system is off-road capable and resilient to environmental extremes.
Part of the FLP-T program launched by the French Defence Procurement Agency in 2023, Thundart competes against offerings like the Thales-ArianeGroup Foudre project. MBDA and Safran aim for operational delivery by 2029 if selected, with demonstration firings planned for mid-2026. Production sites are established in France, enabling quick scaling.