The goal is to surpass Russia in terms of missile production: European Commissioner for Defense urges to step up during a visit to MBDA in Bourges

The European Commissioner for Defense, Andrius Kubilius, has called on European leaders to “step up a gear” in missile production during a visit to MBDA, which produces components for the Franco-Italian Aster air defense missiles, competitors to the American Patriot.

Increasing production rates to support Ukraine and rearm Europe: the European Commissioner for Defense called on Thursday to “step up a gear” in missile production during a visit to the European manufacturer MBDA.

“For the moment, Russia produces more than us in various areas, and sometimes by a lot. So, we really need to step up a gear and clearly show the ambition to surpass Russia in terms of production” in order to deter any attacks on the EU, emphasized Andrius Kubilius at the MBDA factory in Bourges, Cher.

Here, mechanical parts for the Aster air defense missiles are notably manufactured, competitors to the American Patriot which Ukraine sorely needs. Last year, Ukraine faced 2,000 missile attacks, including 900 ballistic missiles for each of which two to three Patriot missiles need to be fired to intercept it, according to the European Commissioner. However, the annual production capacity of the United States does not exceed 750 Patriots and Washington will need to replenish its stocks depleted by the war in the Middle East, noted Andrius Kubilius during a “missile tour” engagement with all manufacturers in Europe.

“It is extremely important that we start working now to meet Ukrainian needs and how the European industry can respond in the short term,” judged Deputy Defense Minister Alice Rufo who was accompanied by Benjamin Haddad, in charge of Europe.

The political defeat of Viktor Orban in Hungary hints at the possible blocking of the EU’s 90 billion euro grant to Kiev, of which 60 billion is for its military needs, according to the European Commissioner. Orders will come, the industry needs to be ready. This includes “for our rearmament,” reminded Ms. Rufo: the project to update the military planning law provides for an additional 8.5 billion euros, totaling 26 billion between 2024 and 2030, for ammunition alone.

The production of Aster missiles must double by 2026

Since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, MBDA is under pressure to speed up production, especially for the valuable Franco-Italian Aster missiles. Their production – of which the volume is confidential – has been multiplied by five between 2024 and 2025 and must double again in 2026, assures Hervé de Bonnaventure, military advisor to MBDA CEO Eric Béranger. The production time has decreased from three years in 2022 to almost 18 months today.

For this, the company has launched a 5 billion euro investment plan, with 2 billion in France, and has also increased its production staff by 50% in Bourges, as well as multiplied machine tool acquisitions. It is difficult to further shorten the production times according to Hervé de Bonnaventure: “a missile is not a tube, it is a miniaturized fighter jet,” he explains while detailing the “PIF”, a component machined from the Aster. On its own, its production requires a year and about fifty operations, a duration “very difficult to compress.” In total, an Aster missile contains 40,000 components, of which 60% are produced by subcontractors.

During the French leg of his “missile tour”, the European Commissioner and the French minister also visited Safran in Montluçon (Allier), where AASM kits for bomb guidance and propulsion are produced. These allow a bomb to be dropped 70 kilometers from its target without the risk of its guidance being jammed by the enemy, making the AASM a popular weapon for Ukraine, France, and export customers.

Safran is also committed to increasing its production rates and produced 1,200 AASMs last year, four times more than in 2022. France’s ambition is to increase its AASM stock by 240% compared to the initially planned target. This will require a new “significant increase” in production rates, according to sources at Safran.