MBDA held its annual press conference in Paris today, March 13. The company’s CEO shared the Group’s results for 2023 along with some perspectives on how to meet future challenges in the face of growing demand in a complex international context.
Éric Béranger, CEO of MBDA, said: “MBDA was created out of the need for greater European cooperation, a fundamental component of its DNA. The company has grown to become a world leader in its field. The challenge now is to continue adapting to a constantly evolving environment, while continuing to foster cooperation, especially at the European level. To be ready for battle when called upon to respond to the new demands of our customers, their armed forces and their allies. To help guarantee their sovereignty in a global environment where force is increasingly challenging international rights.”
In 2023, important domestic contracts signed included the Aster missile order for France and Italy; Akeron MP and Mistral 3 for France; Enforcer – which went into series production at the end of 2023 – for Germany; CAMM-ER for Italy, the Sea Viper evolution for the UK and Mistral 3 for Spain. In exports, MBDA closed significant contracts in Europe, mainly with important deals for CAMM in Poland and Sweden, and the mid-life renewal of SCALP missiles for Greece.
The events that took place on the international stage last year proved once again the need for fully comprehensive defense solutions and a multi-layered air defense, for which cooperative successes such as the Aster or CAMM missiles prove instrumental. The current areas of conflict in the world are also revealing new trends in warfare, such as the use of drones. A trend identified by MBDA early on and which resulted in Sky Warden, its flagship solution for dealing with the full range of threats from unmanned aerial systems.
With threats evolving rapidly, innovation and preparation for the future remain priorities at MBDA. Be ready to face new threats and be present in new domains of conflict. The future of deep strike is advancing, with Italy joining France and the UK in developing FC/ASW. MBDA is leading Hydis², a consortium involving 14 European countries developing Aquila, to face the emergence of hypersonic effectors. Not forgetting the AI solutions applied to collaborative combat, which Orchestrike, MBDA’s Collaborative Combat Effectors demonstration, showcased. The company has also taken important steps with directed energy weapons. DragonFire in the UK, the Laser Weapons Demonstrator (LWD) in Germany and Cilas in France. Finally, Space, a new domain where there is a need to protect strategic assets and have the ability to complete missions from Earth. Hence MBDA’s recent participation in the AsterX exercise.
To remain a reliable partner for its customers, MBDA continues to anticipate and adapt quickly. This is why the company is increasing its production, with significant increases in the production rates of the Akeron MP; Aster; Brimstone; CAMM; Enforcer; Exocet, MICA and Mistral, while also investing in the future. MBDA also uses all the levers at its disposal at European level, having always supported the European Commission and the European Agenda for Defense, and now welcoming the European Defense Industrial Strategy and its future implementation.
From 2023 to 2028, MBDA is investing an unprecedented 2.4 billion euros at Group level, and plans to hire more than 2,600 new people by 2024.
Key figures
- Total revenues in 2023 were €4.5 billion
- Order intake reached a new record total of €9.9 billion
- Backlog reached €28 billion
About MBDA
MBDA is a unique European multinational group, a world leader in the field of complex weapons systems, playing a key role in maintaining the security of nations.
Created in the spirit of international cooperation, MBDA and its more than 14,000 employees work together to support the national sovereignty of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, as well as their allies around the world. As an accelerator of innovation, MBDA is the only European group capable of designing and producing complex armaments to meet the full range of current and future operational requirements of the three armed forces (army, navy and aeronautics). Airbus (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%) and Leonardo (25%) are co-owners of MBDA.
*** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***