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MBDA and Safran complete first live firing test for Thundart long-range rocket artillery, targeting French deployment by 2030

MBDA and Safran Electronics & Defense say the French long-range surface-to-surface rocket artillery system Thundart achieved its first successful firing on April 14 at the Île du Levant test site. The partners position Thundart as fully designed and produced in France, with a 2029 delivery to support French capability fielding by 2030, aligned to the DGA’s FLP-T (land long-range strike) requirement to replace MLRS.

Discovered 2026-04-29T10:23:49.479802-07:00 | 2026-04-29T10:23:49.479802-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • Validates execution momentum on France’s sovereign deep-strike rocket artillery effort under the DGA’s FLP-T requirement, with Thundart’s first live firing milestone now achieved and follow-on deliveries described as feasible for 2029.
  • The program is directly tied to replacing MLRS with the 1st Artillery Regiment, making test-to-fielding timelines relevant for European ground- and fires modernization and future ammunition scaling (see France’s broader munitions ramp reported by POLITICO: source:5363eb26-7069-47df-bb13-5ea40fbfd76e).
  • Strategically, it reinforces the same “sovereign long-range land strike” industrial thrust behind other precision-tactical rocket work (e.g., FLP-T 150: source:b6a0cada-efa6-419a-8e61-f1131c2915ca), affecting procurement priorities and supply-chain expectations for European defense primes.

Reported By

defcrosnews.com Janes fr.finance.yahoo.com militaryleak.com defence-industry.eu opex360.com
Sources Tracked
13
First Seen
2026-04-29T10:23:49.479802-07:00
Latest Update
2026-05-03T11:47:50.578661-07:00
Coverage
Defense

Sources

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