MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. Germany and France are interested in developing a new land-based intermediate-range ballistic missile with a non-nuclear warhead and are in talks with the aerospace company ArianeGroup to build the weapon, Reuters reported.
"People are trying to understand what is at stake with ballistic systems," Vincent Pery, ArianeGroup's director of defense programs, told reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. According to him, ArianeGroup is holding "preliminary discussions with several countries" about how the weapon would fit into the geopolitical context, keeping in mind that ballistic missiles are already fielded by Russia and in the Middle East.
Reuters notes that ArianeGroup previously proposed a new land-based ballistic missile for Europe. The Aviacionline website points out that the company showcased the Missile Balistique Terrestre/Missile Balistique de Theatre (MBT) concept at the International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget last year.
The weapon presented by ArianeGroup is a high-precision ground-launched intermediate-or intermediate-to-long-range ballistic missile similar to Russia’s Oreshnik.
The missile’s features, as announced by ArianeGroup, include an approximate flight distance of 1,000 to 1,500 kilometers, which is expected to be increased to over 2,000 kilometers, the capability of carrying a non-nuclear warhead, potentially high maneuvering capabilities, and hypersonic speed, at least in the terminal phase of flight.
The plan is to produce two versions of the missile, with one-and two-stage solid-fuel engines, while the warhead will be designed to split into hypersonic planning units.
As of the summer of 2025, the MBT program was at an early stage. What was showcased at the Le Bourget event was just a rough layout of the missile, aimed at drawing the interest of potential customers in Europe.
However, according to Aviacionline, the French authorities had by then allocated initial funds for the development of such a missile in their military plans. Up to one bln euro may be spent on this project. Paris expects the missile to enter service in 2030-2032.
While talking to reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Pery noted that ArianeGroup was in talks both with the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and the German government on a missile, which, in his words, would be capable of hitting targets at a distance of over 1,000 kilometers in minutes. However, he did not highlight any link to the concept presented in Le Bouget last year. Paris and Berlin did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Aviacionline claims that France is currently the only European NATO ally that has domestically-made ballistic missiles. Notably, its M51 submarine-launched missiles carry nuclear warheads and are seen as strategic weapons.
They, too, were developed by ArianeGroup, a joint venture between the French corporation Safran and the European aerospace company Airbus.
The media outlet emphasizes that the new initiative is aimed at creating a non-nuclear intermediate-range ballistic missile. French President Emmanuel Macron stated earlier that Europe "falls within the range of such missiles." This is why, he stressed, similar weapons must be developed in order to ensure security on the continent.
Meanwhile, Zuzanna Gwadera, a researcher with the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), believes that Europe has a long way to go before it has anything on par with Russia’s Oreshnik missile.
She pointed out that the EU had already introduced several joint initiatives to develop intermediate-and long-range missiles, including cruise missiles. One of the initiatives, the European Long-range Strike Approach (ELSA) program, was announced last year. However, most of them are still at the concept stage, Gwadera said.