MBDA, Fly-R launch UAE loitering munition tied to Rafale offsets
MBDA and French drone company Fly-R signed a co-development contract at Eurosatory 2026 on June 18 to develop and industrialize the Diamond Shaped loitering munition in the United Arab Emirates. The signing advances a partnership between MBDA, Fly-R, and the Tawazun Council that was first formalized at the Dubai Airshow in November 2025.
A commitment embedded in the Rafale deal
The first Rafale fighter jet for the United Arab Emirates on display during its rollout ceremony. (Credit: Dassault Aviation)
The Diamond Shaped program is one of the industrial production guarantees France attached to the UAE’s acquisition of 80 Rafale F4 jets signed in December 2021, the largest export contract in French defense history.
Development and production will be conducted through MBDA’s newly established UAE entity, drawing on technology and know-how transfers from both companies. A dedicated joint team in the UAE will work alongside MBDA’s Missile Engineering Centre in Abu Dhabi, set up in 2023, and will involve Emirati engineers and technicians throughout the qualification process.
Production is expected to reach several thousand units annually, Laurent Collet-Billon, Fly-R’s Chief Executive and a former Director General of France’s armaments procurement agency (DGA), told Les Echos, with the precise figure classified.
The program also takes on additional weight in the context of the collapse of UAE-France negotiations over co-financing for the Rafale F5, which fell apart in late 2025. With Abu Dhabi’s participation in the next-generation fighter now off the table, the Diamond Shaped industrialization contract gives France a concrete deliverable to demonstrate that the original 2021 Rafale package continues to generate industrial returns for the UAE.
System design and capabilities
The Diamond Shaped is derived from Fly-R’s R2-120 Raijin, a tube-launched loitering munition built around a patented folding rhomboidal wing the company says doubles performance compared to similarly sized conventional designs.
The system has a maximum takeoff weight of eight kilograms and carries up to two kilograms of payload. For the UAE-developed Diamond Shaped variant, MBDA specifies up to 60 minutes of endurance, a range of 50 kilometers, and an attack dive speed of 270 kilometers per hour.
Operators control the munition via a ground control station, with embedded AI enabling autonomous terminal guidance once a target has been designated. Tube-launched and compact enough for infantry deployment, the system can also be fitted to vehicles, surface vessels, and air platforms. Intended targets include armored vehicles, fast inshore attack craft, and unmanned surface vessels. The post MBDA, Fly-R launch UAE loitering munition tied to Rafale offsets appeared first on AeroTime.
MBDA and French drone company Fly-R signed a co-development contract at Eurosatory 2026 on June 18 to develop and industrialize…
The post MBDA, Fly-R launch UAE loitering munition tied to Rafale offsets appeared first on AeroTime.
