MBDA signs first French contract for One Way Effector long-range strike drone
France’s defense procurement agency (DGA) has signed its first contract with MBDA for the development and production of the One Way Effector (OWE), a sovereign long-range ‘one-way’ strike munition designed to overwhelm and help expose enemy air defenses. MBDA announced the signing of the contract on January 22, 2026.
MBDA has positioned the One Way Effector as a ‘mass plus range’ option, situated between high-end cruise missiles and less expensive, shorter-range loitering munitions. The primary objective of this new munition is to contribute to modern tactics for Suppressing Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD).
Neither MBDA nor the DGA have disclosed the contract value, quantities, or delivery timelines.
One Way Effector in SEAD missions
When MBDA unveiled the concept at the Paris Air Show in June 2025, the company described the OWE as an attrition-focused weapon launched from the ground in salvoes to maintain constant pressure on hostile air defenses.
MBDA has described the One Way Effector as a one-way drone design with a jet engine, with an approximate range of 500 kilometers (310 miles) and a 40-kilogram (88 pounds) warhead. The manufacturer said that the warhead would be sized to compel air defenses to engage, forcing them to reveal their positions for detection and follow-on strikes by other long-range weapons.
The concept echoes lessons from Ukraine, where Shahed-type one-way attack drones, including the Russian-produced Geran series, have demonstrated how relatively low-cost systems can be used in volume to complicate air defense planning and force defenders to expend interceptors.
MBDA also highlighted an industrial approach aimed at volume production, including partnerships outside the traditional defense supply chain. In its 2025 description of the program, MBDA claimed that the approach could enable production of up to 1,000 units per month.
Fast-track timeline under France’s ‘Drone Pact’
According to MBDA, it took less than a year to move from the program’s announcement to a first test firing and then the first contract signature, crediting the DGA’s ‘Defense Aerial Drone Pact’ with enabling a more agile, cooperative approach with industry.
France’s Ministry of the Armed Forces has framed the Drone Pact as a means of accelerating procurement and build a sovereign industrial base for ‘contact drones and related munitions, using streamlined requirements and faster cycles than traditional acquisition programs.
The OWE contract is part of France’s broader effort to align military requirements with increased production capacity, including partnerships that leverage manufacturing ecosystems beyond the conventional defense supply chain.
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One example is the Chorus program, in which French automaker Renault is set to manufacture the Chorus long-range loitering munition in collaboration with Turgis Gaillard, an effort also linked to France’s drone pact initiative. The post MBDA signs first French contract for One Way Effector long-range strike drone appeared first on AeroTime.
France’s defense procurement agency (DGA) has signed its first contract with MBDA for the development and production of…
The post MBDA signs first French contract for One Way Effector long-range strike drone appeared first on AeroTime.
