LONDON, United Kingdom. The UK Ministry of Defence has announced plans to fast-track the development of the DragonFire laser weapon system for installation on Royal Navy ships, MBDA announced in a statement.

PARIS, France. The eurosam joint venture -- which is backed by the shareholders MBDA France, MBDA Italia and Thales -- is in the process of developing a new generation of long-range surface-to-air systems based on ASTER missiles, namely the SAMP/T NG ground system and the ASTER B1NT missile, with a new management team in place, the company announced in a statement.

LE PLESSIS-ROBINSON, France. European defense consortium MBDA announced it will lead a pan-European consortium focused on countering hypersonic missile threats from other nations. 

PARIS, France. Safran Electronics & Defense and MBDA have purchased a 63% majority stake in CILAS, a French company that specializes in lasers for military applications such as counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) missions, Safran announced in a statement.

UNITED KINGDOM. The Ministry of Defense has signed a contract with British industry Team Tempest partners aiming to drive forward the next phase of the major national and international endeavor to develop the next generation of combat air.

FRANCE. Tawazun and MBDA announced that the companies have signed a head of terms agreement with the intent to cooperate in the field of smart guided weapon systems. The aim is to create a long-term partnership between Tawazun and MBDA, enabling the development of the SmartGlider weapon systems from design to production phase.

GERMANY. Germany’s Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has awarded a consortium, or ARGE, consisting of MBDA Deutschland GmbH and Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH a contract to fabricate, integrate, and support testing of a laser weapon demonstrator in the maritime environment.