EU Commission select Enforcer missiles in ASAP ramp-up

Europe’s leading missile manufacturer MBDA are set to receive investment from the EU Commission from May 2024 to support its growing production of Enforcer missile systems across the continent.

With the system entering serial production for the German Armed Forces at the end of 2023 and the first deliveries due to take place this year, the company also just concluded an export contract for the system.

These new funds will help develop capacity by making production “more resilient and faster,” MBDA’s CEO, Eric Béranger noted.

Earlier this month, Béranger also revealed that the company has made nearly a 20-fold increase in its stockpiles of special irons to prepare against supply chain lead time increases. These new EU funds will help the company to deliver amid growing uncertainty on the world stage.

Enforcer is a shoulder launched weapon system that provides low-collateral precision effects capabilities against threats from lightly armoured static and moving targets, targets behind cover, and against targets at long range also in urban environments.

The Enforcer Production Increase Campaign (EPIC) aims to increase Enforcer production significantly and thus will contribute to the further enlargement of the series production of Enforcer missiles at MBDA in Schrobenhausen, Bavaria and at MBDA partner companies in Europe.

Speaking to Army Technology in October last year, MBDA Germany’s managing director, Thomas Gottschild, emphasised that the company is “filling the gaps in [the Bundeswehr], not so much on new capabilities” as developing existing ones.

However, given the growing demand for Enforcer, and the new EU funds for greater production, MBDA’s man-portable missile system will cater to a greater consumer base beyond the Bundeswehr and across Europe.

EU Commission appropriates ASAP funds

In July last year, the EU announced that it would ramp-up ammunition production capacity to supply its Member States amid the turbulent security climate.

Under the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP), the Union selected projects with a budget in excess of €500m ($541.8m), allocating €50m toward missiles.

Although a portion of the funds will go toward expanding Enforcer missile production, ASAP was originally conceived under response approach to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Since early March 2024, the EU Commission reassessed the security environment and has since put forward a more proactive approach with longer-term industrial objectives.

Under this new Defence Industrial Strategy, Member States will procure at least 40% of defence equipment in a collaborative manner by 2030. This decision will help to consolidate Enforcer and MBDA’s wider missile portfolio even more.