“European Success: AKERON MP Missile System Proves Effective in Cyprus BLOS Firings within the EDIDP LynkEUs Project”

In a groundbreaking event in Cyprus on September 28th and 29th, MBDA and its partners from the European Defence Industrial Development Programme’s LynkEUs project achieved significant milestones in the development of a European beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) capability. During this event, two AKERON MP missiles were successfully fired from an IMPACT turret integrated onto a SHERPA vehicle. What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that it marks the first time a BLOS firing has been conducted from a vehicle, a significant leap in the project’s progress.

These firings were conducted with precision, engaging a target designated by a micro unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) through a cyber-secure link. Eric Béranger, CEO of MBDA, hailed this achievement as a critical step in implementing a European autonomous BLOS land combat capability, underscoring the importance of the LynkEUs project in bringing together expertise from across Europe.

The LynkEUs project, selected by the European Commission in July 2020 as part of the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) 2019, aims to define and test a preliminary concept of operations for a European BLOS capability. It seeks to demonstrate the proof of principle through a full-scale firing campaign while identifying avenues for improving the entire BLOS functional chain. This project aligns with the EU BLOS capability project endorsed in November 2018. With funding from EDIDP, LynkEUs is coordinated by MBDA and involves several prominent partners, highlighting the collaborative effort to enhance Europe’s defense capabilities in the geostrategic context at the borders of Europe. Cypriot based company SignalGeneriX is taking part in. The LynkEUs EDIDP project and was successfully demonstrated for the first time in Cyprus in collaboration with the Cyprus National Guard.