France has officially chosen the Thundart missile system, developed by Safran and MBDA, as its next long-range terrestrial strike system. This decision comes after a competitive selection process involving two French industrial consortia. ArianeGroup and Thales were excluded from the contract, which was awarded to the Safran-MBDA consortium. The Thundart program, which successfully completed a demonstration firing in April 2026, is now moving into its industrial phase. A joint company, equally owned by Safran and MBDA, is expected to be created soon to manage the system’s development, production, and maintenance. The Thundart missile is designed to replace the aging single-rocket launcher (LRU), which has a range of 70 kilometers and is set to be retired by 2027. The new system is a guided rocket capable of reaching speeds close to Mach 5, following a near-ballistic trajectory to strike with a 100 kg payload at a distance of 150 kilometers. Propulsion is provided by Roxel, a subsidiary of MBDA, while Safran contributes a guidance system derived from the HAMMER, a French version of the AASM. This system is designed to maintain course even when global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals are jammed. The missile is mounted on a Scania 8x8 truck, with each pod holding eight rockets ready for launch. A successful test firing was conducted in April 2026 at the Île du Levant test site, validating the initial phase of the program. The next major milestone is the creation of the joint company by January 2027, which will oversee the development of future versions of the Thundart system. These versions may be adapted for different terrains and, in the long term, could be used by allied forces. The system is also intended for commercial export, opening up potential markets beyond France. The contract with the French government is valued at 600 million euros, covering the acquisition of at least 13 systems by 2030 and 26 units by 2035 to fully equip a battalion. The timeline is tight, as the current LRU systems are nearing the end of their service life, and the French military cannot afford a gap in its long-range strike capabilities. The program already involves dozens of engineers from Safran and MBDA and their subsidiaries. The economic benefits of the project are expected to spread across several French regions, including Aquitaine, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Brittany, Centre-Val de Loire, Île-de-France, and Pays de la Loire.