MBDA, Europe’s largest missile manufacturer, has taken the stage at the Paris Air Show with a striking innovation: a cheap, single-way unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to mass-saturate enemy air defenses and pave the way for the company’s high-value, high-impact munitions, such as cruise missiles. For now, the UAV, dubbed the “One-Way Effector,” was shaped by lessons learned from the war in Ukraine and stands out for its mass-producibility.
A New Way to Defeat Air Defenses: Mass Production and Low Cost
Hugo Coqueret, business development manager for the battlespace at MBDA, said the new drone will be mass-produced and will cost a fraction of the price of a cruise missile. The company announced a partnership with an unnamed drone manufacturer and a French automotive company to increase production to 1.000 drones per month. It is a new example of cooperation between the defense and automotive sectors. Coqueret added that the French automotive partner is not Renault, but a French automaker that said earlier this month that it was in the business of producing drones.
The development of the new drone was heavily inspired by the war in Ukraine, where Russian and Ukrainian forces used dozens of one-way drones in single attacks to overwhelm and exhaust defenses. One of the key lessons learned from the high-intensity war in Ukraine was “the need for mass,” and the new munition is one of the answers offered by MBDA, Coqueret told Defense News in a briefing on Monday.
Coqueret explains the basic purpose of this new concept: “The mission is really a saturation mission. It is designed to meet the need for mass return in the armed forces, to cause saturation in the enemy forces.” This approach aims to create a vanguard force to protect expensive and complex missile systems from enemy air defenses and to penetrate their defense layers before they become targets.
“Saturation Ammunition”: Complement to Existing Portfolio
For MBDA, this new drone represents a new type of product for a missile manufacturer whose high-end products can cost millions of euros. Coqueret said that this effector is designed to Scalp and Taurus described it as a “saturation munition” that complements its existing portfolio of cruise missiles, including the One-Way Effector. That is, the One-Way Effector would serve as a cost-effective support element designed to increase the effectiveness of primary missile strikes.
This jet-powered drone, It will be able to carry a 40 kg load over a distance of 500 kilometers at a speed of 400 kilometers per hour. These features show that it offers sufficient range and speed to engage and neutralize air defense systems by reaching specific targets.
Rapid Development Process and Mass Production Potential
The design process for the new drone started from scratch in December and progressed very quickly. The first test flight is planned for September or October, while the first production batch In 2027 This short development and production timeline reflects the importance and urgency MBDA attaches to this new technology.
Coqueret summed up the drone’s design philosophy: “It’s relatively fast and carries a significant payload. All of this means that the enemy’s ground-based air defenses have to destroy it with high-value-added systems. Everything is designed to create saturation.” The design brief was for a low-cost munition that could be produced in large quantities, and Coqueret said “everything from the parts to be manufactured to the operational procedures for assembly and supply chain has been designed with that in mind.” In order to keep costs down, the UAV was not designed to be stealthy and many components were supplied off-the-shelf.
Coqueret also said that these drones are not alone, “When fired in salvos, they can form a swarm” “Once again, this is a very simple ammunition, there is no dialogue between the ammunition, but with the ability to group, when fired in salvos, they will be able to form a swarm and it will be this swarm that will move towards the target and thus create this attrition effect. You will use it in the same way as artillery,” he said, explaining the operational effectiveness of the use in swarms.
Demand and Future Prospects from France
According to the MBDA executive, one of the driving forces behind the development of the One-Way Effector was A need expressed by the French armed forces MBDA expects to begin consultations “soon” with France’s Directorate General of Armaments to purchase the weapon, demonstrating that the project is not just a commercial venture but also a direct response to national defense needs.
This innovative UAV concept aims to provide an asymmetric advantage against air defense systems on the modern battlefield. These low-cost, mass-producible and swarm-usable drones could play a significant role in future military strategies and increase the challenges that air defense systems will face. MBDA’s move once again demonstrates how critical adaptation and cost-effectiveness have become in the defense industry.
