MBDA has signed a development contract with the Italian Army to supply a new very short-range air defense system featuring the FULGUR missile. The announcement was made during the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget.
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According to the European contractor, FULGUR, which forms the system’s core, is a man-portable, supersonic, fire-and-forget missile designed for all-weather, day-and-night operations.
The NATO-compliant interceptor features a seeker that can counter threats such as drones, helicopters and fighter jets. Its portability allows integration onto vehicles such as the IDV VTLM2 with Leonardo turrets and future platforms with automated turrets. The system is also capable of air launch and can be deployed on rotary-wing aircraft.
“FULGUR completes MBDA’s offer in the VSHORAD segment,” said Lorenzo Mariani, MBDA’s executive group director for sales and business development. “It will give Europe a totally autonomous and technologically sovereign very short-range capability, able to evolve into an air-to-air system, operational on a rotary wing, thanks to its flexibility and ease of integration.”
First deliveries of the operational missile and launcher are expected by early 2028.
The new partnership follows MBDA’s recent acquisition of Roxel, a Franco-British manufacturer of solid propulsion systems for tactical and cruise missiles across air, land and naval platforms. MBDA said that bringing Roxel in-house would enhance its technological edge in specialized propulsion and its position in the defense sector.