Saab AB signed a warhead production contract with MBDA France for the MMP (Missile Moyenne Portée) medium-range missile, Saab said Tuesday.

The order was placed with a Saab subsidiary, Saab Bofors Dynamics Switzerland (SBDS), which developed the warhead. Deliveries of the MMP warheads are set for 2017.

MMP Launch Test Photo: MBDA
MMP Launch Test
Photo: MBDA

Saab described the MMP as a high-technology, new-generation battlefield missile. It was established by the French Ministry of Defense (MoD0 as a major new program within its Military Planning Act 2014-2019, meant to help modernize the French Army.

The MMP was conceived by MBDA France and is in the development phase, following notification of a development contract by the French defense procurement agency, DGA.

“With high precision, the MMP will enable armed forced to neutralize the many different target types that they might encounter,” the company said.

The warhead has previously been tested on the latest generation of explosive reactive armor. The warhead “ensures that collateral damage is kept to a minimum while maximizing the safety of the operator,” Saab said.

 “Our cooperation with MBDA France is extraordinary and mutually beneficial,” Stephan Kocher, head of SBDS, said in a statement.

Saab declined to disclose the order value for the contract.

SBDS specializes in total munitions life cycle management and servicing different ammunition types. It is based in Thun, Switzerland, where it maintains a development and production site with test and simulation facilities.