France Tests Maiden Anti-Tank Loitering Munition

France has tested a remotely operated anti-armor loitering munition with a range exceeding 50 kilometers (31 miles).

The MUTANT munition has been developed by an MBDA-led consortium under project Larinae, leveraging the company’s experience in developing missiles such as the anti-tank Akeron.

Led by the French defense innovation agency and the French arms procurement agency, the project seeks to develop a loitering anti-armor capability currently unavailable in the French military.

Through the project, France seeks to narrow the gap with countries such as the US and Russia that have already deployed anti-armor kamikaze drones such as the Switchblade and Lancet.

MUTANT Munition 

Toulouse-based Delair has designed the weapon’s delivery platform while MBDA has provided its payload.

Capable of detecting, engaging, and neutralizing targets, the 10-kilogram (22-pound) loitering munition features deployable wings for compactness and ease of transport and deployment.

The kamikaze platform uses onboard inertial navigation to operate without the Global Navigation Satellite System in contested electromagnetic environments.

“Designed as a true man-in-the-loop weapon system, this solution will offer complementary capabilities to land-based combat missiles in terms of targeting speed, manoeuvrability, endurance, range and enemy saturation capability,” according to MBDA.

“This remotely controlled ammunition, with its ability to strike beyond line-of-sight, is a natural complement to MBDA’s portfolio of battlefield effectors such as the AKERON MP and LP.”

Derivatives

In April, MBDA launched a pair of loitering munitions — the Akeron RCH-140 and Akeron RCH-170 — based on the MUTANT concept.

Both munitions weigh 18 kilograms (40 pounds) and have a range of 50 and 70 kilometers (43 miles), respectively.

Meanwhile, the MUTANT’s next test campaigns are scheduled for 2025 and 2026. 

The French Army reportedly plans to procure around 2,000 units of the system.