Report on one of the missile production sites in France

While the increase in defense budgets to overcome an American disengagement and face the Russian threat raises questions of funding in Europe, the question of production capacities is closely followed, as with MBDA.

The departure of an Akeron type anti -tank missile resonates on arrival on the site of Selles-Saint-Denis, In the middle of Sologne forest. It was there, among others, that the Franco-British-German-Italian Mbda Missilier develops these devices. The company, which is one of the world leader in missiles, is on the front line: if Europe intends to rearm itself, and that it can count less and less with the United States to do this, the gunsmiths of the old continent must be able to take over, and above all produce more, much more and faster.

MBDA already produces all kinds missiles: short, long, anti -aircraft, anti -tags, anti -navires, etc. And the beating heart of this industry is here in Selle Saint-Denis, in the Loir-et-Cher. A discreet site, surrounded by wood and where we will not be recorded: mobile phones are prohibited, the slightest spark or radiation could set fire to the powders. Literally: we are here in the pyrotechnic zone.

“”We have active materials that will be able to be used in the context of a missile, either to propel it to one lens, or use it as explosive, explains Olivier, one of the executives on the site. We will have a military load which will be on board and which will detonate in contact either a building, or near a lens which can be a fighter plane. It is the proximity rocket that will explode and which will be the load of this missile “.

Another MBDA site, 50 km further south, in Bourges: in the 10,000 m2 of mounting workshops, this is where we build these missiles. “”You enter an entity called electromechanical mechanical production. Our mission is to produce all that is mechanical parts and electromechanical equipment of our missiles, our missile launches and systems“, Presents Jérôme, production manager.

The Bourges site is not, about talking about it, a factory with mounting chain, etc. Each missile is, so to speak, assembled by hand. “”A year ago, we had a demand for the war economy to do more, faster on a certain number of missiles. Basically, we must double our industrial capacities on a very short horizon. So that, it asks us to launch a transformation plan as we never had at MBDA“, Specifies Jérôme.

In one year, the production of MBDA missiles has been increased by a third party and should have doubled by the end of 2025. And the command notebooks are filled at full speed. Friday, March 14, France, Great Britain and Italy announced the joint purchase of 218 anti-aircraft missiles from MBDA.