European defense groups unveil plan for homegrown missile shield interceptor

European missile makers and defense groups launched a new consortium on Tuesday to develop what they said would be the continent’s first interceptor capable of destroying medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in space.

Thales, Airbus, MBDA Deutschland, Safran and aerospace startup Destinus signed a letter of intent in Paris to establish the Bliksem EXO Consortium, aiming to develop the sovereign exo-atmospheric interceptor. Europe is pushing to plug critical gaps in air and missile defense following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine amid growing concerns over ballistic missile threats.

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The announcement follows Monday’s launch in Paris of the Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition, in which European leaders pledged to jointly develop a lower-cost alternative to the US-made Patriot air defense system as Ukraine struggles to counter intensified Russian ballistic missile attacks.

While shorter-range ballistic missiles typically follow trajectories that remain within the atmosphere or only briefly pass into near-space, those with longer ranges spend much of their midcourse flight outside the atmosphere.

Under the letter of intent, the companies plan to sign a binding consortium agreement within three months, begin joint engineering work in August and carry out a test of the exo-atmospheric kill vehicle in space in 2027.

The agreement itself does not commit the parties to fund or procure the system, the companies said in a joint statement.

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