Thundart is the first and only sovereign deep-strike system to conduct a demonstration shot that was highly successful on April 14 over the Levant area in southern France, said Hugo Coqueret, land combat manager at MBDA, during a remote press conference. “This is a crucial step for the program of this artillery system with a range of 150 km that could be operational by 2030,” he continued.
The war in Ukraine has brought long-range artillery to the forefront of modern conflicts. Systems capable of precision strikes beyond 100 kilometers, like targeting logistical depots, command centers, or anti-air defenses, have become a major tool. The Himars system from American company Lockheed Martin, used by Ukraine, has forced European armies to react. In France, the French Armament General Directorate (DGA) launched a program called Long-Range Land Strike in 2023, which is eyeing the two competing offers Thundart and FLP-T 150.
As of now, the French army has nine Unitary Rocket Launchers (LRU), a modernized version of a system developed by Lockheed Martin capable of hitting targets at 70 kilometers, which need to be replaced soon. Globally, aside from Himars, competing systems like the Israeli Puls and South Korean Chunmoo are already operational and expanding internationally.
Thundart is based on a “all-terrain” launcher truck capable of carrying eight rockets and can move at 80 km/h on the road, allowing it to “deliver the shot and quickly change position,” said Michael Soulat, program manager at Safran Electronics & Defense. This mobility and the “extremely short” set-up time are “key to survivability today,” meaning the device’s ability to withstand enemy response, especially against drone threats, as highlighted by Hugo Coqueret.
Thundart is suited for “high-intensity” combat and takes into account lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine. The rocket launcher aims to strike deep into enemy positions such as command posts, artillery, air defense, or to “cut off logistical flows to slow down the opponent’s maneuver,” details Michael Soulat. Equipped with Safran’s AASM guidance kit, the system is resistant to jamming and can “operate in environments where electronic warfare is prevalent,” he emphasized.
Manufacturer of the European Ariane space launcher, ArianeGroup highlights its expertise in ballistic technologies, claiming to be “the only actor” in Europe mastering this type of systems. “With its apogees, speeds, and trajectory constraints, a capability of this class requires the know-how and technologies close to those of ballistic and space systems,” says ArianeGroup.
