The French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA – Direction Générale de l’Armement) has conducted the first lock-on-before launch (LOBL) firing of a Missile Moyenne Portée (MMP) land combat missile from the retractable pod on the turret of the Jaguar armored reconnaissance vehicle (EBRC). The missile’s producer, MBDA, and the vehicle’s maker, Nexter, participated in the firing on April 14.
The integration of the MMP onto the Jaguar is being carried out in stages during qualification. This firing is the first stage, successfully demonstrating hitting a fixed target. The system is expected to be able to destroy fixed or mobile-hardened land targets, including the latest generation of tanks, using direct or beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) targeting. It will also be precise and with minimal collateral damage.
MMP’s capabilities – integrated into the Jaguar’s turret by Nexter, alongside the remote controlled weapon station developed by Arquus, the Scorpion common vetronics solution developed by Thales and the 40mm cannon developed by CTAI – gives the Jaguar a key role in collaborative combat.
During this demonstration, the Optrolead PASEO battlefield surveillance sight interfaced with the missile system, offering real-time optronic acquisition by day and by night. This gives the Jaguar excellent long-range observation and identification capabilities.
Frédéric Michaud, Head of Battlefield Sector for Sales & Business Development at MBDA, said: “This firing marks an important first step of the work conducted with Nexter to develop the Jaguar turret and integrate the MMP into a weapon system built on the latest technological solutions. This two-missile turret configuration considerably expands the vehicle’s firepower.”
