The Akeron series has been expanded by two attack drones

MBDA France has presented Akeron RCX50 and Akeron RCH170 attack drones, which were developed based on the technology of the multi-purpose missile of the same name.

European Defense Review published a detailed review of the presented innovations.

MBDA’s French division presented the unmanned component of the Akeron series, namely two new drones, at the SOFINS 2025 international exhibition and conference for special operations forces.

The drones are part of the Akeron LP and Akeron MP series of multi-purpose missiles, as the company’s classification of the same name characterizes guided munitions with the ability to hit targets beyond the line of sight. In other words, this is the Beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) mode.

The Akeron RCX50 copter and the Akeron RCH170 airplane presented at the exhibition are drones of this type. They were developed with the extensive use of missile technology from the series in partnership with two French manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles, Novadem and Delair.

“We optimize the technologies used in the missile and the technologies used in the UAV. We do not take a UAV and attach a payload to it. It’s a solution for kamikaze drones,” the Head of MBDA’s unmanned strike systems program emphasized.

The numbers in the names of Akeron RCX 50 and Akeron RCH 170 indicate the length of the aircraft in centimeters. The letters X and H indicate the airframe design used. MBDA developed both munitions to participate in the government’s Colibri attack drone program with a range of up to 5 km and Larinae, which can engage targets at a distance of 50 km.

Akeron RCX50

Novadem, a company specializing in rotary and multicopter unmanned aerial vehicles, has developed the Akeron RCX50 airframe based on its previous NX70 solution. The new drone is an enlarged version with dimensions of 510x510x220 mm, but due to its folding “beams,” it can be folded to a smaller size and carried by one soldier in a bag.

According to the manufacturers, the drone can stay in the air for up to 40 minutes and reach a speed of 15 m/s (54 km/h). This enables it to deliver a multi-purpose warhead weighing about 500 grams, which consists of a cumulative charge and an outer casing with ready-made fragments at a distance of 5 kilometers.

Preparing the vehicle for flight takes less than five minutes, which also includes turning on the 1.3 kg control panel and establishing communication with the drone.

The choice of the quadcopter’s layout allows the RCX50 to be particularly flexible when working in urban areas. It can also land on the surface and wait for the target to arrive in an energy-saving mode, i.e., with the propellers turned off. When the target appears, it takes off again to engage it. This maneuver can be performed at any time of day or night, thanks to integrating a television and thermal imaging channel.

The key advantage of the drone is its electronics and software based on solutions from Akeron missiles. The navigation system is equipped with satellite signal receivers (GNSS) and an inertial system that allows it to operate in areas with active electronic warfare systems.

The drone is able to independently aim at a target, capturing objects when touched by a finger on the operator’s console. The drone can automatically hit the target after a human operator approves the strike.

“Currently, we only use image processing algorithms that work on recognizing the target’s shape and contrast with the background, so we don’t have full-fledged built-in artificial intelligence in Akeron drones yet,” the program manager shared.

To accelerate the launch of its new product, MBDA-Novadem is launching mass production even before development is complete: a test batch is expected by the end of this year.

Akeron RCH 170

The Akeron RCH 170 is a further development of the Mutant XL drone developed by Delair, which has been under development since June 2023.

The 18-kilogram drone is launched by catapult or from a transport and launch container so its front and rear wings can be folded. According to publicly available data, the drone has a maximum range of 50 km, a flight duration of 60 minutes, and a weight of 16 kg. The other two kilograms of takeoff weight are accounted for by the cumulative warhead.

While the RCX50 is designed to complement mortars on the front line, the Akeron RCH 170 can provide high-precision engagement of armored targets where conventional artillery fails.

MBDA and Delair plan to begin flight testing the Akeron RCH 170 in the summer of 2025. The tests are to take place in Biscarrosse on the southern Atlantic coast of France, a test site selected by the DGA for testing medium-range systems. The vehicle production is expected to begin in late 2026.