France Orders MBDA’s New Exocet MM40 Block 3C, Range Tops 200 km
France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) announced at Euronaval 2026 that it will sign a framework agreement with MBDA for the latest version of the Exocet anti-ship missile, the MM40 Block 3C. The announcement, made at Paris Nord Villepinte, covers missiles destined for the French Navy’s frontline frigates.
The MM40 Block 3C has a range exceeding 200 kilometres and shares its core airframe with the existing Block 3 family. The upgrade introduces a new seeker and a digital radar altimeter, which DGA says are intended to sharpen terminal-approach accuracy and improve resistance to electronic countermeasures.
Block 3C achieved operational qualification in 2024 and has already entered limited service aboard French frigates. The framework deal unveiled at Euronaval is meant to scale up production and start deliveries from 2029, a timeline aligned with France’s 2024-2030 Military Programming Law.
Notably, DGA indicated the agreement would not be limited to the French Navy alone. The agency said it could channel orders from partner nations through the same framework contract, with such joint purchases potentially supported by the EU’s SAFE (Security Action for Europe) financing instrument — a move aimed at growing Exocet’s user base across NATO.
Exocet’s ability to be launched from naval, air and land platforms has kept it central to French anti-ship doctrine for more than three decades. The strategic rationale DGA pointed to is a shifting naval threat environment: the proliferation of low-signature ship designs and the spread of electronic warfare capabilities are making regular missile stock modernisation a necessity rather than an option.
No missile quantities or contract value were disclosed. DGA said such details would be finalised once the framework agreement is formally signed. Euronaval 2026 runs from 3 to 6 November at Paris Nord Villepinte, and further French naval-systems announcements are expected before the show closes.
For MBDA, the deal reinforces its anti-ship missile portfolio across Europe. The company already exports the Exocet family to numerous NATO members, and a larger Block 3C production run could further expand that export base. MBDA’s multinational shareholder structure — spanning the UK, Italy, France and Germany — also positions it to run several national framework agreements in parallel.
The SAFE instrument is a relatively new EU mechanism designed to offer low-cost financing for joint procurement among member states. By keeping SAFE eligibility open for the Exocet purchase, DGA signalled an intent to ease other European navies’ access to the missile through its own framework contract, rather than relying solely on separate national deals — part of a broader European shift toward economies-of-scale procurement.
In the anti-ship segment, Exocet competes with Norway’s Naval Strike Missile (NSM) and the US-made Harpoon. All three families have undergone comparable range and targeting-software updates in recent years, but Exocet’s uninterrupted service record with the French Navy gives MBDA an edge in platform integration. The digital radar altimeter in Block 3C is meant to keep the missile’s sea-skimming altitude more precise, reducing the risk of early radar detection.
Beyond France, the Euronaval announcement sends an indirect signal to NATO’s southern-flank navies: as stealth ship designs and electronic-warfare capacity grow across the Mediterranean and Atlantic, routine modernisation of legacy anti-ship missiles is becoming structurally unavoidable. A 2029 delivery start suggests this is a medium-term modernisation plan rather than a response to any immediate threat spike.
Sources
- Infodefensa.com, “Francia encarga a MBDA nuevos misiles antibuque Exocet MM40 Block 3C de última generación con 200 kilómetros de alcance,” 5 November 2026, infodefensa.com — primary source for the DGA announcement, technical specifications and strategic context.
