A new test of the AKERON LP was successfully conducted on March 24 at the DGA (Direction générale de l’armement, French defence procurement agency) Missile Test Site on the Île du Levant. The test was carried out from a ground installation against a mobile sea target. The primary goal was to test for the first time in flight the entirely new functionalities of the AKERON LP Program: semi-active laser guidance with the seeker developed by Safran, and the image transmission to the gunner via Thales’ data link. The target was positioned on a moving barge 6 km away. The missile prototype included equipment for measuring environmental data and recording parameters of several critical functional chains.
The missile performed as expected, with optimal terminal guidance on the laser designation and a functional data link allowing image return throughout the flight duration. This test marks a significant milestone in the development program. This major success was made possible by the commitment and dedication of all teams and partners involved: MBDA and its main suppliers, as well as French defence procurement agency (DGA) and OCCAr (Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation). This development test validates the new functionalities while allowing the consolidation of already acquired performances and demonstrating the maturity of the product, whose main equipment will enter into qualification.
The Akeron, formerly known as MMP (French: Missile Moyenne Portée, lit. ’medium-range missile’) is a French fifth generation man-portable anti-tank guided missile system. Featuring a fire-and-forget capability, it also integrates command guidance in both lock-on before launch (LOBL) and lock-on after launch (LOAL) firing modes for visible targets and non-line-of-sight use respectively. A long-range, air-launched missile of the same family, the Akeron LP (Akeron Longue Portée), is also under development. It is intended to equip the upcoming French Eurocopter Tiger MkIII. Multipurpose warhead with anti-armour, anti-infrastructure, anti-ship, anti-helicopter capability and anti-personnel effects for optimal operational flexibility and reactivity
Selected in 2020 as part of the Future Tactical Air-to-Ground Missile (MAST-F) program by the OCCAR for the DGA, the AKERON LP, based on AKERON MP technologies. It will now be integrated onto several combat platforms. Total platform freedom of manoeuvre before and during the missile mission thanks to the advanced two-way RF data link. Optimal effect on MBTs with top attack trajectories and a tandem warhead capable of defeating more than 1,000mm of RHA and all generation ERA. With the AKERON LP, MBDA offers an innovative European weapon system leveraging recognized expertise by the armed forces and responding to the evolving battlefield.
