Diehl Defence is acting as project coordinator, leading the consortium and drawing on more than three decades of experience in guided missile development and multinational industrial programmes. The company is also the system house for the European IRIS-T missile programme, which underpins its role in managing complex defence collaborations.
The kick-off meeting was held at the Representation of the State of Baden-Württemberg to the European Union in Brussels and brought together project partners, officials from DG DEFIS, and representatives of participating member states. Attendees also included the coordinator of the associated PESCO Future Short-Range Missile initiative, highlighting the strategic alignment between EU institutions, member states and industry.
The BEAST project aims to lay the groundwork for the joint European development and procurement of a modular future short-range missile family. According to the consortium, modularity is intended to enable rapid and cost-efficient development of missiles for air-to-air, air-to-ground and ground-based air defence roles while strengthening European technological sovereignty.
