MBDA unveils submarine-launched Exocet missile to strike naval vessels

PARIS — European defense contractor MBDA has developed a new submarine-launched missile designed to strike heavily protected naval vessels and stealthy targets.

The French-built missile, dubbed the SM40, is the latest variant of the Exocet family. The main elements that differentiate it from its predecessor, the SM39, is the integration of a new J-Band radio-frequency seeker, new algorithms tailored for high-intensity environments, and twice the reach, company officials told Defense News.

“It features a doubled range in the class of 120km with a new turbojet engine, to regain the stand-off distance in anti-submarine warfare,” Pierre-Marie Bealleau, head of business development for deep strike missiles at MBDA, said.

Belleau added that the SM40 was designed solely to equip Naval Group-made submarines, which indicates that the two systems will share the same customer range established by the French shipbuilder globally.

The SM39 is in service with several navies across the world, including France and India.

While the new submarine-launched variant is tailored to defeat highly protected combat vessels and stealth targets, Belleau noted that it also features a land attack capability, “to defeat ship at harbor, for instance.”

Similarly to its predecessor, the SM40 also uses the same launch method: a propelled and guided underwater vehicle. The missile is housed in the vehicle and is ejected once it breaks the water surface at a low altitude.

The SM40 is not yet in production, but according to the MBDA representative, given that it is based on existing and mature technological blocks, the time needed to put it on the market should be considerably reduced.

At the Euronaval show here, organized here from November 4-7, MBDA is showcasing an Exocet MM40 B3C in order to mark the 4,000th Exocet missile produced, per a company press release.