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Akeron MP - Missile Moyenne Portée (MMP) Medium-Range Missile

Akeron is a unique family of fifth-generation tactical combat missiles. This family includes the MMP and MHT missiles, remaned Akeron MP and Akeron LP respectively. With Akeron, MBDA is investing in a family of missiles to meet current and future operational needs, both for dismounted combat and from land, aeronautical or even naval platforms.

The MMP is a multipurpose missile that can be fired by an infantryman or from different platforms (armored vehicles, light vehicles, ships or boats). It is used in particular on the new Jaguar armored vehicle, the first units of which were delivered by the end of 2021. Day or night, it can hit its target up to a distance of 4000 meters. In use by the French armed forces since 2017, MMP has also been ordered by Belgium and Sweden. MMP is the latest generation anti-tank missile in service to have been successfully engaged in combat on several occasions.

With more than 100 tests and training firings under its belt by 2021, MMP is capable of dealing with all battlefield threats, in all types of environment: cold or hot extremes, urban, maritime and mountainous spaces. It can also be fired from confined spaces, an essential capability for combat in urban areas. MMP offers both a “fire and forget” capability, allowing the operator to move to another position immediately after firing the missile, and a “man-in-the-loop” capability for engagements requiring a minimized risk of collateral damage. Using a dual-band visible/non-cooled infrared seeker, MMP can acquire both hot and cold targets and then track them completely autonomously. For engagements requiring continuous man-in-the-loop control, a fibre-optic link relays the seekers imaging back to the firing post.

With both the firing post and the missile being equipped with capabilities including location, orientation and digital communication, MMP is able to engage Beyond-Line-Of-Sight (BLOS) targets equally as well as those in direct line of sight, and, if required, under the permanent control of its operator or commander. MMP is equipped with an unprecedented tandem military charge, versatile and capable of handling a wide target set, including field fortifications, armored vehicles, or even combat tanks equipped with the most modern reactive armor. All of these technical characteristics make MMP the most versatile latest generation land combat missile on the market.

In a dismounted version, MMP has a lightweight, easily man-portable, firing station. MMP can also be mounted onto various platforms such as light and armored vehicles, and naval platforms. The modular architecture of the MMP weapon system enables its integration on different types of turrets such as IMPACT, or heavier ones such as the one equipped with the 40 CTA cannon. The development of an air-to-ground version was launched by the Ministry of the Armed Forces at the end of 2020 with MHT (Missile Haut de Trame / top frame missile), a long range missile intended to equip the Tiger attack helicopters. It is also a candidate for arming the European MALE Eurodrone as well as for land vehicles. To meet a wide range of naval requirements, MBDA can offer the same highly versatile MMP missile that is already in operational service with land forces.

Scheduled in 2011, the latest generation portable MMP missile is in endowment with the three armed forces and special forces since 2018. Successor to the Milan, Javelin, Hot and Eryx missiles, it improves the superiority of the disembarked fighter. This new multi-purpose missile will equip and the Jaguar Armored Reconnaissance and Combat Vehicle (EBRC). The number of copies delivered to the army by 2025 has been revised upwards by the Military Programming Law (LPM) 2019-2025 which increased it to 1,950 copies (with 400 firing stations) instead of the 1,550 initially planned.

Members of 15 foreign delegations, as well as representatives of the European Defence Agency (EDA) and NATO have been given the opportunity to witness the full range of capabilities of MBDA’s 5th generation MMP (Missile Moyenne Portée) ground combat missile during a live firing demonstration. The demonstration – organised on 12 October 2018, at the Canjuers base in the presence of the French Army and the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) – took place in two phases: a dynamic phase, in which representatives from around the world watched three firings conducted by the French Army Technical Section (STAT), and a static phase, based on presentations and workshops making use of standard operational equipment for simulations, training and support.

The three firings – all of which struck their targets precisely – showcased the missile’s various operating modes by confronting it with different scenarios, against both fixed and mobile targets at ranges of 2.5 km to over 4 km, proving the accuracy of the MMP in all circumstances, even when fired at hidden targets beyond line of sight. The demonstration, which included firings with the seeker locking on to the target both before and after launch, and using both infrared and TV guidance, also highlighted the MMP’s ‘fire and forget’ and ‘operator in the loop’ capabilities.

Its ability to engage targets beyond direct line of sight by means of a network-centric enabled tablet computer, or via images relayed by micro-UAVs, was also demonstrated, illustrating how the MMP operates in symbiosis with coordination systems and field sensors. The delegations also discovered different configurations of the MMP: a standard firing post fixed on an Arquus SHERPA Special Forces light combat vehicle; with an Impact remote-controlled turret mounted on an Arquus SHERPA armoured vehicle; and with a T40 gun turret mounted on a Nexter VBCI infantry fighting vehicle. This demonstration followed September’s hot weather campaign carried out by the French Army in Djibouti, which validated the MMP’s suitability for use in a desert environment and secured the green light for its deployment in support of the Operation Barkhane in the Sahel-Saharan Strip.

The Ministry of the Armed Forces received the 1000th Medium Range Missile (MMP) produced for the French forces by MBDA. This batch of missiles (including the 1000th ) was fully delivered to the Brienne-le-Château (Aube) site of the Joint Service for Ammunition (SIMu) on November 16, 2021.