Our History

From its creation until today, MBDA has always been at the forefront in imagining and designing cutting-edge and complex weapons systems, supporting the national sovereignty of its home nations and their allies.

1914-1945

First steps in the development of guided missiles

The concept of the remote-controlled aircraft emerged around 1900 from the convergence of aviation and radio. World War I led to several experiments carried by all the nations involved.
1914-1945

First steps in the development of guided missiles

The concept of the remote-controlled aircraft emerged around 1900 from the convergence of aviation and radio. World War I led to several experiments, which allowed the birth of some of the biggest inventions of the defence industry. These first steps into missile development resulted in numerous breakthroughs in the following years.

The invention of unmanned aircraft took first place in 1914 in Germany. In the final flight test, in 1918, the glider achieved a range of 7.5km, which made it the first air-to-sea weapon. At the same time in the UK, the goal was to destroy the airships that were bombing London, using a radio-controlled biplane loaded with explosives.

In the meantime, the United States already had a lead in gyroscopes and autopilots. When the U.S. entered the war in 1917, it launched five unmanned aircraft projects with a view to attack the enemy behind the lines, well beyond the range of heavy artillery.

The same year was developed in Italy a guided gliding bomb, the “Telebomba”, launched from a dirigible. In France, at about the same time, a team was working to develop a “pilot-less aircraft” remotely controlled from another aircraft and already equipped with fly-by-wire flight controls and an automatic pilot.

Testing continued during the inter-war period, but radio guidance was not yet sufficiently reliable at that time. The military requirement existed, but the technology was not yet mature.

Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was not allowed to possess heavy artillery, but it was entitled to develop new weapons. Thus, the German army took a very early interest in the liquid-fuelled rockets that some were trying to develop in order to travel to the Moon. The first guided rocket industry was created in Germany. The country gathered military personnel, researchers, test centres and factories, which enabled it to build up a considerable lead over the rest of the world. This research led to the development of the V1 (the ancestor of the cruise missile) and the V2 (ancestor of the ballistic missile).

MBDA 1945-1960

1945-1960

The pioneering period in the UK

The development of guided weapons had not been a priority during World War II, and for the major European leaders, the defence industry had yet to make up for lost time.
MBDA 1945-1960
MBDA 1945-1960
1945-1960

The pioneering period in the UK

The development of guided weapons had not been a priority during World War II, and for the major European leaders, the defence industry had yet to make up for lost time. The British policy on missile development was targeting large production of traditional weapons. The British understood that their country could only retain its status as a world power if it could catch up in the new sector of guided weapons.

By the end of the war in 1945, a Guided Weapons Committee was set up to focus requirements. In 1946, the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) took on sole responsibility for missile development. There was much work to be done in aerodynamics, propulsion, and guidance during an initial phase of experimental vehicle testing, before involving industry in 1948.

After this long research phase, the UK launched three different surface-to-air systems in the same year of 1949, one for each of the armed forces: the ram jet-powered Bloodhound, a fixed-base system for the Royal Air Force; Thunderbird, a mobile system for the British Army; and Sea Slug, to equip County class destroyers of the Royal Navy. They entered service in 1958, 1959 and 1962, respectively. 

However, since it was unrealistic to defend the entire country with air defence systems alone, the strategic bomber threat also drove development of the first air-to-air missile, the Firestreak, with its infrared seeker, which was a technical break-through at the time. But soon enough the government realised that design work had been dispersed between too many different companies, resulting in the creation of seven design offices. When programmes reached the production phase, the limited available credits were insufficient to fund all.

The 1957 White Paper on Defence signed by Minister of Defence rationalised the aviation sector by abandoning a very large number of fighter and bomber programmes. The White Paper also terminated several missile programmes, and the only survivors were the Mk2 upgrade of Bloodhound, Thunderbird and Sea Slug, and a programme to develop a new air-to-air missile, Red Top, for the Lightning fighter. In 2003, the RAF acquired a new cruise missile, with Storm Shadow. These cutbacks led to merging seven aeronautical firms in 1960 to create two large groups: Hawker Siddeley and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).

1946-1958

The pioneering period in France

The post-war era in Europe became a pioneering period for missile development, following the breakthroughs of the 1914-to-1945 timeframe.
1946-1958

The pioneering period in France

The post-war era in Europe became a pioneering period for missile development, following the breakthroughs of the 1914-to-1945 timeframe. In France, the aerospace industry had been completely destroyed by World War II, as the design activity had practically come to a halt. However, by the end of the decade, the era of multiple stakeholders came to an end, forcing several companies to definitively exit the missile industry sector.

The market had seen the astonishing acceleration of technological progress during the last decade, with the emergence of such innovations as radar, jet propulsion, rockets, and guided missiles. In France, the State stepped in to give directions through the programme of 1 July 1946, which laid the foundations for the future. This programme listed everything that was theoretically feasible in the missile sector, with the aim to stimulate the industry and convince companies to create specialised design offices. Development contracts were awarded to a large number of competing companies in order to create a technical and industrial base in this entirely new sector. 

The first French missile to undergo operational experimentation was designed in Cannes, on the French Riviera. The ram-jet-powered SE.4200 surface-launched missile made its first flight in October 1950. 

However, the development of new anti-tank weapons was the focus of most attention; and in 1946, a missile department was created in Châtillon, near Paris. The said department rapidly developed a small anti-tank missile, the SS.10, with a range of 1,500 metres. Initially created for experimental purposes, the SS.10 was an immediate success. In 1953, it became the very first tactical missile to enter service in the world. At that time, the infantry anti-tank missile offered an inexpensive response to the looming threat. The SS.11 and SS.12 anti-tank missiles followed in quick succession. Therefore, in the early 1950s, Nord Aviation launched mass production of anti-tank missiles in Bourges, exported in large quantities. In 1956, the first air-launched missile in Europe, the Nord Aviation AA.20, using wire-guided technology, entered service with the French Air Force. 

One of the biggest companies in the French market, Matra, believed from the outset that the future of air-launched missiles was “fire & for-get”, but some difficulties remained in developing seekers for its R.510 and R.511 designs. A ministerial decision taken on August 1958, led to the abandonment of many missile programmes. After a decade of experimentation, the time had come to rationalise the sector, eliminate redundancies, halt developments that were behind schedule or without prospects, stop doling out scattered design contracts and instead concentrate on series procurement of systems that worked. This led to the termination of work on several French air defence missiles. 

Reaching the end of the decade, only two main players remained in competition for the French defence industry: Nord Aviation, thanks to the success of its anti-tank missiles and target drones, and Matra, thanks to the selection of its R.530 air-launched missile for the Mirage III, a combat aircraft that would become a world-wide success. This was the starting point for Matra’s air-launched missile family.

MBDA 1960-1967

1960-1967

Keeping pace

In the early 1950s, Europe played a pioneering role in the development of tactical missiles.
MBDA 1960-1967
MBDA 1960-1967
1960-1967

Keeping pace

In the early 1950s, Europe played a pioneering role in the development of tactical missiles. Strategic bombers flying at high altitude had become vulnerable to air defence missiles and were replaced by compact and agile supersonic fighter-bombers. Therefore, the threat that it represented for Europeans led them to create a new market segment: short-range air defence (SHORAD). 

Some programmes developed during this decade were unquestionably at the origin of a new expertise in missile system design. 

With SHORAD, Europe regained its past leadership in system design. European forces focused on developing a new type of guidance: SACLOS (Semi-Automatic Command-to-Line-Of-Sight), key technology for SHORAD and second-generation anti-tank weapons, like MILAN and HOT. As a result, Europe and specifically the UK, France, and Germany developed three new systems: the UK Rapier, the Franco-German Roland and Crotale. They became best-sellers on the export market. 

1963 was a key year for the UK. It marked the launch of three major air defence programmes for British industry: Rapier and Seawolf for naval point defence, and Sea Dart for medium-range fleet defence.

In the face of soaring development costs, European co-operation quickly emerged as the key to survival, by sharing costs among several countries and expanding production. A new era began in 1964 with the signature of Franco-German development contracts for the MILAN and HOT anti-tank missiles, and the Roland SHORAD system, all developed in partnership by Nord Aviation and Bölkow. Meanwhile, Matra teamed with Britain’s Hawker Siddeley, to open up a new market segment, the anti-radiation missile, with Martel.

To explore new markets, Nord Aviation invented the concept of “re-use”, repurposing existing elements to derive new missiles. Thanks to this new business model, the company inaugurated the precision air-to-ground segment by transforming its AA.20 air-to-air missile, which had become obsolete, into the AS.20 air-to-ground missile and subsequently into the AS.30, which enjoyed great success within NATO. Nord Aviation also used its new CT.20 training target to derive the first Western anti-ship missile, the M.20, built in co-operation with Sweden, and the first French reconnaissance UAV, the R.20. All this was done with very scarce research and development funding. The next question was how to achieve autonomous navigation in order to finally produce fire and forget missiles. New technologies were being prepared that would revolutionise missiles in the coming decade.

MBDA 1971-1979

1971-1979

Europe reaches maturity

During the 1960s, the European industry went through a fast development and the decade ended in the co-operation and merging of leaders in the defence industry, compensating the fragmentation of research and production.
MBDA 1971-1979
MBDA 1971-1979
1971-1979

Europe reaches maturity

During the 1960s, the European industry went through a fast development and the decade ended in the co-operation and merging of leaders in the defence industry, compensating the fragmentation of research and production. The frame of the 1970s was set to create innovative products and revolutionise the market.

In 1968, a destroyer was sunk by Styx anti-ship missiles. Western navies quickly realised that they had no equivalent to the Styx. In response to that threat, and in order to reach the market first, Nord Aviation developed the Exocet MM38 in record time, performing the first operational firing in 1971. The Exocet MM38 was the first anti-ship missile that was both fire-and-forget and sea-skimming: a revolution that ensured immediate and significant commercial success. Before it had even entered service, it was adopted by the navies of six countries on three continents. The arrival of Exocet on the market triggered a chain reaction from competitors. Competing business Matra teamed with Italy’s OTO-Melara to launch development of the Teseo/OTOMAT in 1971. The UK, meanwhile, launched Sea Skua, a light anti-ship missile, in 1975, followed by Sea Eagle in 1979. 

Air-to-air missiles also reached maturity in the 1970s with the first missiles designed to intercept large strategic bombers flying in a straight line at high altitude. However, during air combat, this type of missiles proved to be ineffective against new compact, agile, low-flying supersonic fighters like the Mirage III. The industry took advantage of the miniaturisation of electronics that occurred in the 1970s. New air-to-air missiles were developed to be more agile, with seekers that were effective at all angles, both lateral and frontal. 

Matra launched a pair of complementary missiles, starting with an interception missile, for first strike at long range, the Super 530, complemented by a close-range dogfight missile, the Magic 1.

In the UK, Hawker Siddeley Dynamics developed the Sky flash, the first British air-to-air missile with an electromagnetic seeker. Meanwhile, Italian defence electronics firm Selenia developed decided to launch development of an all-Italian missile, the Aspide, which was offered in multiple variants: air-to-air, naval surface-to-air and finally land-based surface-to-air with a system called Spada. Second-generation air-to-air missiles offered significant performance enhancements. 

Missiles developed in the 1960s became very successful in export markets, which led to them entering service in the 1970s. Rapier, Roland and Crotale short-range air defence missiles dominated the market in the absence of competitors; the Magic and the Super 530 were the main rivals of other air-to-air missiles in the Western camp; and finally Exocet and Teseo/OTOMAT anti-ship missiles became the global industry standard.

MBDA 1980-1990

1980-1990

Modernisation of the European industry

The conflicts framed this time period, which could be considered to have set the scene for global modernisation of European defence.
MBDA 1980-1990
MBDA 1980-1990
1980-1990

Modernisation of the European industry

The conflicts framed this time period, which could be considered to have set the scene for global modernisation of European defence.

Occurring in 1982, the Falklands conflict showed the new effectiveness of missile systems. The war showcased the missiles capacity and especially its strategic usage. Globally, the Falklands conflict revealed three things: missiles avoid casualties among friendly forces; the side with the most up-to-date missiles has the upper hand in combat; and firing from stand-off distance is the way forward. 

The cost-to-effectiveness ratio completely and definitively tilted in favour of the missile, resulting into profound disruptions in air and naval warfare. In addition to missile precision would be the emergence of “stand-off”, i.e. firing from a safe distance. This concept would trigger development of a whole range of weapons. To open corridors for fighter bombers, a second generation of anti-radar missiles was developed with the launch of the Matra ARMAT in France in 1980 and the British Aerospace Dynamics ALARM in the UK in 1983. At the same time, the AS 30 Laser was developed to attack concrete bunkers on enemy airfields with metric precision from a stand-off range of around 10km. 

This led to initial work on cruise missiles in Europe, with the development of the Matra Apache anti-runway missile. With Apache, France entered into this new market segment. In the air-to-air missile sector – its field of expertise, Matra made great progress in resolving the technical challenge represented by MICA. The French Air Force wanted to replace Matra’s Super 530 D and Magic 2 missiles with one missile existing in two versions (EM and IR) capable of long-range interception as well as dogfight, giving MICA a unique feature in this class of missile.

Within this Cold War context, priority was placed on modernising the Milan and Hot anti-tank missiles to ensure that their shaped charges could still defeat the latest tank. Thus, the Milan 1 and Hot 1 were each followed by versions 2, 2T and 3. To complement the short-range Milan and Hot, Eryx made its appearance. With a range of 600 metres, it was optimised for urban combat. It could be fired from confined spaces. To show the progress achieved in military payloads in just a decade, Eryx offered infantryman the power of the military payload of the heavy, long-range Hot 1, developed 20 years earlier. 

During this period, it also emerged that missile lifetimes were longer than expected. Their modular design made them easy to modernise. It was also possible to upgrade components like the seeker, warhead, computer or motor. Almost the entire European product line-up would undergo modernisation in the 1980s.

MBDA 1990-2002

1990-2002

A new landscape for co-operation

The 1990s started on a similar note as the context of the previous decade. Whilst the 1980s were framed by international conflict, the 1990s opened their own years with the Gulf War.
MBDA 1990-2002
MBDA 1990-2002
1990-2002

A new landscape for co-operation

The 1990s started on a similar note as the context of the previous decade. Whilst the 1980s were framed by international conflict, the 1990s opened their own years with the Gulf War. This conflict showcased, following the same pattern as the Falkland war, the effectiveness of missiles. The military and the industry learned many lessons. However, this decade lacked budget allocation. Countries had to renew their old 60s and 70s co-operation programmes, to merge the budgets.

The effectiveness of missiles, essential in modern warfare, was confirmed in the 1990s by the Gulf War. The importance of standoff strikes to avoid losses among ally forces also got highlighted. During this conflict, the French AS.30 Laser earned its reputation, destroying bunkers without collateral damage. Likewise, the Air Launched Anti-Radiation Missile (ALARM) saw its first operational deployment when it was fired from Royal Air Force Tornados. The Milan and HOT anti-tank missiles confirmed their ‘anti-everything’ role. They were used to destroy, from the greatest possible distance, any dangerous target on the battlefield, whether fixed or moving, such as machine gun nests or vehicles.

In the previous years, these performances would have given a major boost to the missile industry, the 1990s faced budget cutbacks. European governments then cashed in on the so-called “peace dividend” by cutting defence budgets. Thus, major new developments could only be planned a co-operative basis. In some ways, the period could be compared to the conditions of the 1960s and 1970s. Similar results to that time arose:

  • Firstly, a focus on new market segments: medium-range land and naval air defence systems, with the Aster family; cruise missiles, with Storm Shadow/SCALP; and the long-range air-to-air missile, Meteor.
  • Secondly, the development of the new technologies needed to revolutionise these market segments.
  • Thirdly, the sharing of development and production costs between several countries.

The strongest and most important European collaboration emerged during the 1990s, as a response to the budget cuttings. Indeed, most of the new, promising developments were launched at the end of the 1990s and in the early 2000s jointly by France, the UK and Italy.

Initially developed on a Franco-Italian basis, with the SAAM naval self-defence system and the SAMP/T Ground-Based Air Defence system, through contracts awarded in 1990. Subsequently, in 1999, co-operation was extended to the UK to develop the ambitious PAAMS naval defence system. Europe also developed the Anglo-French Storm Shadow/SCALP programme, following the merger of Matra Défense and BAe Dynamics in 1996 and which was purchased by Italy. In addition, Taurus, the modular stand-off missile for precision strike, was developed in co-operation between Sweden and Germany.

Based on this era of shared business, and the multiplying collaboration between France, Italy, and the UK, MBDA was created in December 2001. The three countries reached agreement with the shareholders of the main companies active in the missile sector (Airbus Group -known as EADS at that time, BAE Systems and Leonardo, known as Finmeccanica at that time) to consolidate the industry. The objective was to make MBDA the sole global unique player in Europe. The very first contract awarded to MBDA, in December 2002, was the European Meteor air-to-air missile project, bringing together six countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK) and designed to equip Europe’s new Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale and Gripen fighters. This is where the origins of MBDA take place, to let the rest be what you know now of a unique multi-national European group in the field of complex weapon systems.

  • 1914-1945

  • 1945-1960 (in the UK)

  • 1946-1958 (in France)

  • 1960-1967

  • 1971-1979

  • 1980-1990

  • 1990-2002