Europe Plans to Make Long- and Medium-Range Ballistic Missile Interceptors

European missile makers and defense groups launched a new consortium on Tuesday to develop what they call the continent's first interceptor capable of destroying medium- and long-range ballistic missiles in space.

Thales, Airbus, MBDA Deutschland, Safran, and aerospace startup Destinus signed a letter of intent in Paris to establish the Bliksem EXO Consortium, which aims to develop an independent, extraterrestrial interceptor, Al Arabiya reported from Reuters (15/7).

Based on the letter of intent, the companies plan to sign a binding consortium agreement within three months, begin joint engineering work in August, and conduct a test of a space-based atmospheric destruction vehicle in 2027.

The agreement itself does not require the parties to fund or establish the system, the companies said in a joint statement.

Europe is seeking to fill critical gaps in air and missile defense after Russia's invasion of Ukraine amid growing concerns over ballistic missile threats.

The announcement follows the launch of the Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition in Paris on Monday, where European leaders pledged to jointly develop a lower-cost alternative to the US-made Patriot air defense system as Ukraine struggles to fight against increased Russian ballistic missile attacks.

While short-range ballistic missiles typically follow a trajectory that stays within the atmosphere or only briefly pass through near space, missiles with a longer range spend most of their middle flight outside the atmosphere.