The MoU also opens the door to assembling Australian-made warheads and contributing to the global MISTRAL supply chain. The MISTRAL system is a Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) solution that operates in “fire-and-forget” mode, with supersonic speed and agility to intercept a wide range of aerial and maritime threats.
“MBDA are world leaders in the missile industry. With the Australian Government’s focus on domestic manufacturing of a wider range of munitions and the expansion of partnerships with industry, the timing is right for NIOA and MBDA to take this first and significant step,” said Rob Nioa, CEO of NIOA Group.
He added, “Co-design, co-development, co-production and co-sustainment of capabilities such as MISTRAL missiles will make effective use of combined resources, strengthening collective defence industrial capacity, enhancing interoperability and accelerating technology development.”
Pierre-Marie Belleau, Business Development Executive at MBDA, welcomed the partnership, saying: “MBDA is pleased to enter into this MoU with NIOA. Both businesses have complementary experiences in delivering world-leading products for their customers.”
“MISTRAL is a class leading VSHORAD capability, ideally suited as an effector in a multi-layered and integrated air defence. NIOA is playing a key role in delivering munitions for the Australian Defence Force. Together we can provide the solutions to counter the evolving drone threat armed forces now face and deliver the best VSHORAD capability available on the market,” Mr Belleau said.
He further stated, “Industrial cooperation and partnering with domestic companies for local production is a core part of the MBDA DNA. Signing this MoU is an example of MBDA’s commitment to this.”
MISTRAL missiles are designed for use across land, air, and maritime domains and can be deployed from both man-portable systems and integrated launch platforms. The latest MISTRAL 3 variant has a reported success rate above 98 per cent, with MBDA recently delivering its 2000th missile amid strong demand from European allies.
