The wait was long, but the development of the future Missile Longue Range, or MLP, which is to replace the Hellfire anti-tank missiles equipping the Tigre HAD, was officially launched on November 13 in Bourges by the European missile MBDA in the presence of the Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly. The development phase will last 5 years, and the new anti-tank missile will equip the Tigre HAD and Tigre 3 helicopters of the French Army's Light Aviation from 2028. In total, 500 MLP / MHT missiles are ordered. by the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
As the MMP entered service in 2017 in the French armies, the MLP is an NLOS missile, that is to say that can be fired without a direct line of sight of the target. The missile is in fact equipped with a seeker capable of catching a target "on the fly", allowing the launching helicopter to remain under the protection of the terrain when it fires, and therefore not to be exposed to retaliatory fire. This point has become crucial today with the proliferation of short-range anti-aircraft systems which represent a deadly threat to combat helicopters, as the commitments in Donbass and Nagorno-Karabakh have shown.
However, and in accordance with the commitments of the French armies, the anti-tank missile will remain, throughout the duration of the flight, under the control of the crew of the Tiger, connected to the aircraft by an optical fiber sending back a video signal and making it possible to pilot the missile, and in particular to designate or ban targets, as is the case today with the MMP. We speak here of "man in the loop", meaning that the trajectory of the missile will remain under the control of human decision, so as to avoid or limit collateral damage.
The missile's performance is naturally not very detailed in the communication made during the announcement. It appears that it will be equipped with a range of 8 to 10 kilometers, a military charge with multiple effects, and as we said, an active video return day and night. The launcher equipped with 4 missiles will only reach 200 kilograms, thus allowing less powerful aircraft than the Tiger to be equipped with it, and the latter to maintain excellent maneuverability even armed with its 8 anti-missiles. tanks, while benefiting from lower fuel consumption, a determining factor for military operations.
We note, however, that the French missile will display a range significantly lower than that of its main competitor, the Israeli SPIKE NLOS, whose range is announced at 25 km. This missile in particular gave a decisive advantage, alongside the Israeli vagrant ammunition like the Harop, to the Azerbaijani armies during the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, by destroying a number of Armenian armored vehicles as well as anti-aircraft and artillery systems. Moreover, the German tigers will most likely carry this new Israeli missile in the years to come, Germany being at the heart of the Eurospike program in partnership with the Hebrew state.
However, theLight Aviation of the Army France favors field masking and tactical flight, an area in which it has become an expert, to long-distance engagements, favored by the Anglo-Saxons, in fact allowing its aircraft to be much closer to the engagement zone without expose oneself. In addition, the rapid increase in the range of anti-aircraft systems such as the Pantsir SM, which will be able to engage targets at 40 km against 20 km today, tends to validate the approach adopted by the French armies. Importantly, MLP is an integral part of Tiger system 3, connected in particular to the Information System of SCORPION program as well as the MUM-T communication system of reconnaissance drones, allowing the use of the weapon system in the form of an advanced collaborative engagement.
We can however regret that it took so long to launch the MLP program, also known as MHT for High Frame Missile. Indeed, the initial announcement was made in 2011 by MBDA, concomitantly with that concerning the MMP, the two missiles sharing many technological aspects. He could thus have become the spearhead of the Support and Destruction version of the ALAT Tiger helicopters, instead of the American Hellfire. It is probable that with the MMP and MLP couple, MBDA France could have won in certain European competitions since won by the Israelis, the SPIKE having replaced the MILAN and HOT missiles in many armies.
Finally, we note that the ministerial and industrial communication around the program highlights its economic and social dimension, with 350 direct jobs secured for 5 years during the development phase, and 250 during the 10 years of production. These figures tell us that in total, the MLP program will generate € 350m in social and tax revenues for the State budget, and will allow it to save € 250m in social benefits, i.e. € 450m more. -budget values. As a reminder, the MMP program has a total budgetary footprint of € 700 million for 400 firing stations and 1750 missiles over the period 2011-2025, development included. The budget for the development and manufacture of the 500 MLP / MHT appears to be roughly equivalent.