MBDA unveils STRATUS as Europe’s next cruise and anti-ship missile family

MBDA has unveiled STRATUS as the new name for the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW) program, marking a significant step toward the next generation of European deep strike and maritime strike missiles. The announcement was made on September 10, 2025, at DSEI UK in London. 

UK Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry Luke Pollard MP and Armament General Engineer Gaël Diaz De Tuesta of France’s defense procurement agency DGA revealed the program’s new identity at the MBDA stand, alongside models of the two missile variants under development. 

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The STRATUS family is intended to replace and expand upon the capabilities of existing European cruise and anti-ship weapons, including SCALP/Storm Shadow, Exocet, and Harpoon. By combining low observability with high speed, MBDA seeks to deliver a flexible and survivable solution for high-intensity conflicts. 

Two complementary designs 

The family includes two designs: STRATUS LO (Low Observable), formerly known as TP15, and STRATUS RS (Rapid Strike), previously designated RJ10. 

Together, they aim to provide a versatile capability mix that can conduct deep-strike missions, engage warships, suppress and destroy enemy air defenses, and neutralize high-value targets. The missiles are being designed to operate across the air, sea, and land domains, launched from multiple platforms and able to penetrate heavily defended environments. 

STRATUS RS will combine “high supersonic” speed, between Mach 3 and Mach 5, with high maneuverability to overcome advanced air defense systems. The French Air and Space Force expects STRATUS RS to incorporate anti-radar capability as part of its mission profile. 

European cooperation 

Eric Béranger, CEO of MBDA, underlined the multinational effort behind STRATUS, which involves France, the UK, and Italy. 

“These new advances on STRATUS are the result of France, UK and Italy’s strong commitment to develop Europe’s present and future critical capabilities. Maturing such a large portfolio of technologies in such a short amount of time has required a massive effort between the nations, and has again demonstrated the value of the MBDA cooperation model.” 

More than 750 engineers across MBDA are currently working on STRATUS. The program recently completed its Assessment Phase, validating the maturity of technologies required to enter the full Development Phase.The post MBDA unveils STRATUS as Europe’s next cruise and anti-ship missile family appeared first on AeroTime.

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