France Completes First MMP Firing Trials.

France has successfully conducted the first firing of the MBDA Missile de Moyenne Portée (MMP) anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW), the company announced on 12 February.

France Completes First MMP Firing Trials.

The MMP is a next-generation ATGW developed by MBDA and currently under order from the French Army to replace its MILAN ATGWs.

According to MBDA, the firing trial took place against a target not visible from the missile's firing position at a range of over 4,000 m. It added that the firing trials were conducted on 2 February at the French defence procurement agency's (the DGA's) Techniques Terrestres site in Bourges.

The missile features a dual-mode seeker incorporating an uncooled thermal and daylight television channel and inertial reference unit (IRU), produced by Sagem under a subcontract, and a tandem 140 mm calibre warhead. The missile also features a two-way datalink, enabling fire-and-forget, man-in-the-loop, and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) firing modes - with either direct or top-attack engagement modes. 

The MMP missile is initially soft-launched, enabling it to be fired from confined spaces. Launch tests validating the missile's confined space firing capabilities were conducted in May 2014.

According to MBDA, further trials are already scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2015. MBDA stated in its announcement that MMP deliveries to the army are now expected to begin in 2017. In total the army has ordered 2,850 missiles and 400 firing posts from MBDA, with the missile not only intended to arm infantry personnel but also intended to be vehicle-launched from platforms such as the army's upcoming Jaguar 6x6 reconnaissance vehicle.