The effort targets medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missile threats, according to Destinus. Its proposed architecture brings together the interceptor, sensors, guidance, launch systems and battle management needed to detect a threat and coordinate a response.
Airbus Defence and Space, Destinus, MBDA Deutschland, Safran Electronics & Defense and Thales signed a letter of intent in July 2026 to establish the consortium. Destinus is its lead and prime contractor, with the agreement covering intended work on development, qualification, industrial-scale production and long-term support.
“Europe needs the ability to develop and industrialise critical missile-defence capabilities on its own industrial base,” said Destinus chief executive Mikhail Kokorich. “Bliksem EXO is built around that principle: European partners combining complementary technologies in one interoperable upper-layer system.”
The proposed system is designed to be interoperable with NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence and to contribute to the European Sky Shield Initiative. Those are design goals for a capability still in development, with the partners also working through the industrial requirements for producing and supporting it in Europe.
“Europe’s security requires both technological innovation and industrial capacity to deliver critical capabilities quickly and reliably,” said Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space. He discussed the project’s roadmap and upper-layer defence requirements with the consortium during a working session in the Netherlands on 24 September.
