France to test its own alternative to HIMARS in 2026

France plans to test its own missile system. It is intended to be an alternative to the American HIMARS MLRS.

Defense News learned that the missile system is to be tested for the first time in 2026.

The new system should hit a target at a range of 150 kilometers.

The French General Directorate of Armaments is developing it in cooperation with the Safran and MBDA consortia, as well as Thales and Ariane Group.

The multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) in service with the French military are no longer new, and there is more and more talk in the country about replacing them with domestic versions rather than those purchased abroad.

“The decommissioning of the LRU ( American M270 MLRS – ed.)is approaching, and at this stage, the issue will be to maintain capabilities,” France said.

In 2024-2030, France has planned to allocate EUR 600 million euros for a missile and artillery program called Frappe Longue Portée Terrestre, or FLP-T for short.

It covers the purchase of at least 13 MLRS by 2030 and 26 by 2035.

The long-range tactical strike capability is essential, and it is a niche that needs to be filled, said French Army Chief of Staff General Pierre Schill.

There is currently no equivalent to HIMARS in Europe, and European armies that have been procuring rocket artillery in recent years have either chosen the American MLRS, the PULS launcher from Israel’s Elbit Systems, or the Chunmoo from South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace. Elbit is working with KNDS on a Europeanized version of PULS, and in 2023, Germany’s Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin joined forces to develop the GMARS system.

At the same time, in 2024, MBDA and Safran teamed up to create the Thundart guided artillery projectile.

It is designed specifically for the French FLP-T program. Thundart will have a range of 150 km. The missile, which has a caliber of 227 mm, was originally designed to be compatible with the French army’s Lance Roquette Unitaire (LRU) missile launcher.