Thales has completed the first live-fire tests of the X-Fire launcher, which it developed with Soframe and positioned to replace France’s aging LRU (Unitary Rocket Launcher) systems.
X-Fire is designed with a versatile architecture that allows it to fire foreign ammunition on a transitional basis to avoid a capability gap while France develops sovereign long-range strike weapons such as the FLP-T 150 tactical ballistic missile, which completed its first test-firing in early May.
During the test, the French launcher used Thales’ 68mm X-Fum training rocket, which has already been tested on the Tiger combat helicopter.
“The versatility of the X-Fire allows us to reconcile … the need for a sovereign ballistic munition by the end of the decade with the requirement capacity continuity as current Unitary Rocket Launcher systems reach the end of life,” said Julien Assoun, Thales’ VP of Vehicles and Tactical Systems, adding that the company is already preparing for production.
French Long-Range Strikes
France launched the FLP-T (Frappe Longue Portée Terrestre) program in July 2023 to seek a sovereign, long-range rocket system, as the remaining LRU systems — a modified US-made M270 MLRS — in service with the French Army are slated for retirement by 2027.
FLP-T includes plans to procure at least 13 systems by 2030 and 26 by 2035 to equip a battalion-level force.
The Thales-Soframe consortium’s X-Fire launcher is one of two leading candidates for the program, competing against MBDA and Safran’s THUNDART system.
X-Fire is mounted on an 8×8 wheeled platform compatible with the French Army’s logistics fleet. It features Thales’ TopStar Smart Receiver GNSS anti-jamming receiver and the TopAxyz inertial measurement unit for positioning, navigation, and timing, as well as targeting and firing.
Thales also partnered with ArianeGroup to develop the FLP-T 150 missile with an operational strike range of up to 150 kilometers (93 miles).