The test took place on 20 May 2026. Thales said the system is designed to engage deep-strike targets at ranges of 150 km and beyond.
X-Fire has a versatile architecture that allows it to deploy both sovereign and allied munitions. Thales said this gives the launcher operational flexibility for long-range land strike operations.
The firing follows the recent test of the FLP-t 150 sovereign ballistic munition developed by ArianeGroup and Thales. Thales and ArianeGroup conducted demonstration firings of that munition on 5 May.
The FLP-t 150 is expected to be available before the end of the decade. It is intended to provide French forces with a sovereign ballistic munition for deep-strike missions.
Thales said X-Fire can also operate foreign munitions on a transitional basis. This is intended to maintain capability continuity as the current LRU, or Unitary Rocket Launcher, system reaches the end of its service life.
The launcher is based on an agile 8×8 mobile platform compatible with the French Army’s logistics fleet. Thales said this supports a high level of operational synergy.
X-Fire also uses resilient navigation solutions from Thales. These include the TopStar Smart Receiver GNSS anti-jamming receiver and the TopAxyz inertial measurement unit.
The systems are designed to ensure continuous positioning, navigation and timing. They also support high-precision targeting and firing in contested electromagnetic environments.
The 20 May firing used the Thales 68 mm X-Fum training rocket. The same training rocket has already been tested on platforms including the Tiger combat helicopter.
Thales said it is the only manufacturer offering this training rocket. The company said it enables armed forces to take immediate ownership of the system during a transition phase.
“With Soframe, Thales is proud to offer the versatile sovereign X-Fire launcher, which completes the deep-strike ground solution developed with our partner ArianeGroup,” said Julien Assoun, Vice-President Vehicles and Tactical Systems, Thales.
“The versatility of the X-Fire allows us to reconcile, for the benefit of the armed forces, the need for a sovereign ballistic munition (FLP-t 150) by the end of the decade with the requirement capacity continuity as current Unitary Rocket Launcher systems reach the end of life,” Assoun said.
“This successful firing demonstrates the system’s performance, and we are already preparing for the ramp-up of production,” Assoun added.
Thales said the X-Fire launcher and FLP-t 150 munition form part of a broader solution for long-range land strike. The company said the approach addresses both sovereignty requirements and the need to maintain capability continuity.
