Rocket tests of the FLPT-150 and Thundart have begun in France, with one potentially serving as a French analog to HIMARS.
Forces Operations reported on this.
The rockets, developed by the Thales/ArianeGroup and Safran/MBDA consortia, are undergoing a series of trials. The results are expected to enable the French Directorate General of Armaments to select a new multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) to replace the LRU.
According to French officials, one of the test launches was successful, while the results of the second prototype’s trials have not been disclosed. The next phase of testing is scheduled for the coming week.
After the full cycle of tests is complete, the collected data will be analyzed, and a solution will be selected to ensure an optimal balance between cost and implementation timelines.
The French Army is insisting on launching the competition as soon as possible, as the existing LRU systems are scheduled for withdrawal from service as early as 2027.
Despite the program’s acceleration following the update to the Military Programming Law, the scale of procurement remains limited: it involves 13–26 launchers and approximately 300 munitions, with deliveries expected by 2030.
An additional challenge for the French program is strong competition from American, Israeli, and South Korean systems, which are already marketed across Europe.
The project is being developed under the Long Range Land Strike (FLP-T) program. Its core requirement is to achieve a range of over 150 km, with the system entering service by 2030.
In the longer term, the strike range is planned to be extended to 500–1,000 km. Because of these ambitious timelines, France is considering India’s Pinaka MLRS as a temporary solution to cover a potential capability gap until its own system reaches mass production.
Meanwhile, France is advancing domestic solutions. In April 2025, the Foudre MLRS was unveiled at the Le Bourget exhibition and is positioned in the same category as the American HIMARS.
According to its developers, Foudre is a “fully French-made” system capable of directly competing with HIMARS on the global arms market.
