Airbus and Turgis Gaillard join forces on Foudre long-range launcher

Turgis Gaillard has signed a cooperation agreement with Airbus Defence and Space to integrate Airbus’s European Fire Control System (EFCS) into the new-generation Foudre rocket launcher, marking a key step in Europe’s efforts to modernize its long-range strike capabilities. 

The agreement was concluded on October 8, 2025, during the Forum Entreprise Défense held at the Satory military base in Versailles. It combines Airbus’s battle-proven fire-control expertise with Turgis Gaillard’s agile launcher design, offering a rapidly deployable and interoperable solution for France and its allies. 

According to the partners, the alliance delivers “the most reliable, deployable and agile vehicle paired with the most tested, widely deployed and efficient fire-control solution available today”. 

“The alliance signed today is a major milestone for the European defense industrial base,” said Fanny Turgis, President of Turgis Gaillard. “Airbus Defence and Space was persuaded by the approach we used with Foudre […] leveraging the best technologies immediately available.” 

Airbus will provide its software, sensors and fire-control architecture, while Turgis Gaillard will deliver the vehicle and launcher integration. 

Responding to Europe’s deep-strike needs

Recent conflicts have highlighted the strategic value of long-range precision fires, a capability that several European land forces are now seeking to enhance.

France’s 2024–2030 Military Programming Law (LPM) identifies explicitly the renewal of deep-strike systems as a top priority, as the French Army prepares to replace its aging LRU (Lance-Roquette Unitaire) launchers, some of which have been delivered to Ukraine.

The French General Directorate for Armaments (DGA) has launched the FLP-T (Frappe Longue Portée – Terre) program to renew France’s long-range strike capability. The precise schedule for the program remains undefined, but the goal is clear: to provide the Army with deep-strike assets that can complement air and naval systems.

One option under study to extend the service life of the current LRU involves installing it on a tank carrier chassis. However, an alternative could come from the Foudre system.

Foudre: a modular launcher ready for integration 

The Foudre system at Paris Air Show 2025 (Credit: AeroTime)Unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2025, the Foudre launcher is designed for precision strikes at ranges of several tens of kilometres. Its modular structure allows integration with multiple rocket calibres and future European-made munitions. 

Described by the company as “a complete weapon system equipped with one to six precision munitions of different types, capable of producing complementary and differentiated effects,” Foudre can launch guided rockets with a range of up to 75 kilometers and missiles with ranges between 150 and 1,000 kilometers.

By adopting the EFCS, the Foudre program is building on an established system rather than starting from scratch, reducing technical and logistical risk while accelerating operational readiness. It will enable integration with a wide range of guided munitions and is already compatible with NATO standards, providing an advantage for collaborative fire missions among allied forces. 

The EFCS is already in service on the French Army’s LRU launchers, which are derived from the US M270 platform.

“By combining Foudre with Airbus’s fire-control system, we offer the French Army a simple and pragmatic path to replace the LRU without delay and to avoid any capability gap,” said Patrick Gaillard, CEO of Turgis Gaillard.  

The partnership positions the launcher as a sovereign European alternative to US and Israeli competitors such as Lockheed Martin’s HIMARS and ELBIT Systems’ PULS. Both systems are currently being evaluated by NATO members seeking to renew their deep-strike capabilities.

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Turgis Gaillard and Airbus emphasize that Foudre offers a fully French, ITAR-free (i.e, non-restricted by US export legislation) solution, potentially available sooner to avoid a capability gap within the French Army. 

Turgis Gaillard’s broader ambitions: from drones to digital command 

Turgis Gaillard is also expanding into other strategic domains. Its Aarok MALE (medium-altitude long-endurance) drone, unveiled during Paris Air Show 2023 and flight-tested in September 2025, has been presented as a potential European alternative to the MQ-9 Reaper, with a 5.5-ton maximum takeoff weight, 1.5-ton payload, and more than 24 hours of endurance. 

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In parallel, the company has developed ODIN, a digital command-and-control (C2) suite built around artificial intelligence and big data fusion. The platform aggregates sensor and mission data into a secure ‘data lake’ to support real-time decision-making and connect with NATO networks such as Link-16 and national land systems. The post Airbus and Turgis Gaillard join forces on Foudre long-range launcher appeared first on AeroTime.

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