Woodburn made the comments during BAE Systems’ Q2 and first-half 2026 earnings call. He said MBDA secured €6.5 billion of new orders in the first six months of the year, more than twice its revenue during the period.
Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, MBDA typically recorded annual order intake of about €4 billion, he said. Its current backlog is now equivalent to almost eight times annual revenue.
“As Europe’s leading missile systems company, MBDA combines a broad portfolio with a strong track record of proven products,” Woodburn said. He added that the business was positioned in areas where governments were accelerating investment.
MBDA’s portfolio includes counter-drone systems and short-range air defence weapons. It also provides medium-range systems capable of addressing ballistic missile threats across land and maritime environments.
The company supplies weapons for more than 10 combat aircraft programmes. Those platforms include Typhoon, F-35, Rafale, Gripen and KF-21, alongside MBDA’s deep-strike precision weapons.
Demand is particularly strong in integrated air and missile defence. “There, frankly, we could sell whatever we had available and more,” Woodburn told analysts.
He said near-term investment would focus on building additional missile-defence capacity. Woodburn highlighted demand for interceptors designed to counter ballistic missiles.
The €5 billion investment programme will cover manufacturing sites, infrastructure and production capacity. It will also support digitalisation, supply-chain improvements and the development of next-generation technologies.
Woodburn said MBDA’s backlog, investment programme and product portfolio supported a sustained growth outlook. He said the business was “well-positioned to deliver strong revenue growth for many years to come”.
