Defense and security company Saab has signed a warhead production contract with MBDA France for the MMP medium-range missile. The order has been placed with Saab’s subsidiary Saab Bofors Dynamics Switzerland (SBDS). Deliveries are scheduled for 2017.

The MMP (Missile Moyenne Portée, medium-range missile) is a high-technology, new-generation battlefield missile. It is established as one of the French Ministry of Defense’s (MoD) major new programs, within its Military Planning Act 2014-2019, to modernize the French Army. This versatile missile, conceived by MBDA France, is currently in its development phase following notification of a development contract by the French defense procurement agency, the DGA.

The warhead for the MMP has been developed by Saab Bofors Dynamics Switzerland (SBDS). With high precision, the MMP will enable armed forces to neutralize the many different target types that they might encounter. Tests with the warhead against the latest generation of explosive reactive armor have been successfully completed. The warhead ensures that collateral damage is kept to a minimum while maximizing the safety of the operator.

With a significant presence in five European countries and within the USA, MBDA is the only group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air). In total, the group offers a range of 45 missile systems and countermeasures products already in operational service and more than 15 others currently in development.

SBDS is an industry leader in the design, development and production of mortar rounds, warheads, less-lethal applications and other energetic products. The company is a specialist in total munitions life cycle management and provides servicing of different ammunition types, mainly for large-caliber products. SBDS operates as a subsidiary of Saab and is based in Thun, Switzerland where it maintains a start-of-the-art development and production site with advanced test and simulation facilities.