MBDA welcomes the intention of the Italian Government to join France and the United Kingdom in the Future Cruise / Anti-Ship Weapons (FC/ASW) programme. A letter of intent (LOI) allowing the start of the main preparatory work for Italy’s accession to the program has been signed by representatives of the three National Armaments Directorates: Lieutenant General Luciano Portolano, Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense and Director of National Armaments. Italy, Andy Start, British National Armaments Director and CEO of DE&S, and Emmanuel Schiffa, Director General of General Armaments, at the Paris Air Show last week.
Participation in the FC/ASW program will give all three countries a sovereign ability to counter advanced threats from next-generation low-flying and heavy anti-ship missiles. The program will support the strategic cooperation of the three countries in the field of missile technologies through MBDA as an integrated European defense expert.
Eric Beranger, CEO of MBDA, said: “We are pleased with Italy’s intention to join the FC/ASW programme. In line with our role at the forefront of European defense cooperation – sharing technologies, capabilities and expertise between our countries – we are pleased that this MoU also opens the door to benefiting from our Italian expertise in bringing this truly strategic defense capability to Europe. . The FC/ASW will meet the operational anti-aircraft and anti-ship defense needs of the Italian, British and French armed forces for decades to come.
The FC/ASW program is a product of the Anglo-French defense relationship set out in the Lancaster House Treaties. Last year, the French Directorate General of Defense (DGA) and the British Defense Equipment & Support (DE&S) signed an intergovernmental agreement and related contracts, which initiated the preparation and evaluation phase of FC/ASW.
Complementary missile concepts are being explored to now meet the needs of France, the UK and Italy, which require game-changing capabilities to counter land and sea threats, powerful targets and anti-aircraft systems at very long ranges and in increasingly contested combat zones.
FC/ASW will complement MBDA’s existing product portfolio, which is constantly evolving to adapt to new threats.
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