#mBDA the International Paris Air Show illustrates its vision of the capabilities that will underpin the next generation of European air combat systems.
According to a press release from the company, due to the evolution of threats and the increasing complexity of access denial strategies, with diversified effects thanks to large-scale cooperation between surface-air and air-to-air systems, air superiority must in the future it will be created on a local and temporary basis.
Aircraft and actuators must be able to penetrate the precluded areas, identify threats before they are discovered, force hidden threats to reveal themselves sufficiently in advance to eliminate them and react faster and faster than the enemy.
In these increasingly rapid operations, the actuators connected to a network will play an essential role in the combat cloud, exchanging tactical information and target coordinates in real time with the platforms and other network nodes, so as to obtain the desired operational effects. It will also be necessary to implement solid survival strategies against threats in continuous and profound evolution.
The battle will not only take place between the platforms, but also between the enemy networks, and only the most agile and adaptable one will win. The use of these online actuators will rely on the ability to defend against all forms of aggression (eg electronic warfare, cyber), but also on systems that can quickly make decisions, even in complex situations.
In this context, Mbda plays a key role, being able to provide answers to these important challenges, thanks to decades of experience in providing weapon systems for all European combat platforms and thanks to its deep understanding of operational and technological issues. This is demonstrated by the concepts presented at the Paris Air Show that arise from the ongoing studies within the individual domestic Mbda countries, both in cooperation programs and in national roadmaps. These concepts form a coherent set of capabilities and demonstrate that Mbda is able to design innovative solutions for the benefit of its customers for their future air defense systems.
These concepts cover the entire spectrum of the main domains
Deep Attack (deep strike) with cruise missiles that employ the most advanced solutions to penetrate and open breaches in the most efficient A2AD systems (Anti Access Denial Area) that will be available in the future, for the benefit of friendly forces;
Tactical attack (tactical strike) with compact armaments, connected in a network and at a safe distance that not only guarantee precision effects, but are also able to saturate enemy defenses thanks to attack methods such as the multiple attack or the swarm; air-to-air combat with the Meteor, which today is unrivaled and will remain at the forefront, continuing to be a fundamental asset for the next generation fighters;
Self-protection (self-protection) with the anti-missile system "Hard Kill"Which will counteract incoming missiles and thus provide essential protection during stand-in combat, when" Soft Kill "and diversions are no longer sufficient. Such a system is able to invert the balance of power against saturation defenses; supports (enablers) to penetrate enemy defenses thanks to "Remote Carriers" that produce multiple effects, both lethal and non-lethal, as well as new ammunition services such as intelligence, targeting and deception of enemy sensors.
I Mbda Remote Carrier they are compact and furtive, collaborate with other weapon systems and platforms, and they can be launched from both combat and transport aircraft, or from surface naval units. Their function is to extend the capacity of the platforms and armaments they work with.
Mbda is the only European player in the field of complex weapon systems capable of operating on all the technologies necessary for the development of these concepts and their operational chain.
Long-range or stealthy or supersonic vehicles; extremely compact cells and subsystems for multiple loads, without compromising the final effect and the ability to be connected; networking, infrared and radiofrequency sensors with data fusion and artificial intelligence for automatic target identification in complex environments, threat detection, complex engagement planning and decision aids.
Thanks to the deep knowledge of these essential technologies, as well as the phases of the OODA cycle (Observation, Orientation, Decision, Action), from discovery and localization to the verification of the effectiveness of the engagement, Mbda is positioned as a company capable of guiding this chain of decisions and actions, which will lead to an important progress in concepts and operational doctrines.
Éric Béranger, CEO of MBDA commented: "Mbda's vision for future air armaments is comprehensive and ambitious, and we are ready to face the challenge of offering our domestic countries full sovereignty over their future air combat systems by participating in the definition and development of the armaments that will be used by these systems. Mbda demonstrated that the combination of the best expertise in the fields of propulsion, guidance, connectivity and systems integration made the Meteor the best air-to-air missile in the world, providing European fighter pilots with an operational advantage without even. Thanks to its culture of cooperation, built over decades, Mbda will therefore be able to develop next generation weapon systems that will ensure European countries the ability to sustain their air superiority in the long term ".