The project addresses the cost gap between inexpensive drones and the missiles used to intercept them. MBDA and WITU aim to combine an affordable design with production capacity suited to large-scale attacks.
CMI is a supersonic missile designed to engage targets at ranges and altitudes exceeding 6 km. The partners are using proven technologies from both organisations and plan to begin an initial firing campaign in 2027.
The programme was first presented at the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2026. MBDA and WITU have since moved into testing and prototype integration.
The partners completed field trials at a test range in Poland in September 2026. The tests assessed the seeker against several operational scenarios and representative drone targets.
Completion of the trials allows MBDA and WITU to begin integrating the seeker into a prototype missile designed by the Polish institute. This work is intended to prepare the system for the planned firing campaign.
The cooperation is supported by a wider memorandum of understanding signed at the MSPO 2026 defence exhibition in Poland. The agreement covers missile research and draws on British and Polish government support for defence cooperation under the Northolt Treaty.
The partners intend to offer Poland a sovereign missile capability rooted in the country’s domestic defence sector. They also aim to provide allied armed forces with a low-cost European interceptor.
The agreement builds on MBDA’s work on Poland’s PILICA+ and NAREW air-defence programmes. Chris Allam, UK Managing Director of MBDA, said: “This cooperation demonstrates MBDA’s commitment to Poland and expands on our strong support to Poland’s world leading layered air defence capability as we ramp up delivery of PILICA+ and unprecedented technology transfer on NAREW.”
Colonel Paweł Sweklej PhD, CEO of WITU, said: “This cooperation enables the exploitation of a fully Polish missile design paired with a state-of-the-art seeker. Along with our cooperation on HYDIS, WITU is forming a strong relationship with MBDA to develop and embed Polish technologies into crucial European missile solutions.”
