Defense Express reported on November 6, 2026 that France’s Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) is “nearing contract signature” for MdCN naval cruise missiles, including an upgraded Mk2 version that it says is expected to begin deliveries in 2030. The article gives no contract value or signing date and does not name a source for the DGA statement. MBDA, the missile’s maker, presented the Mk II at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris in June.

What MBDA has said

According to FW-Mag’s report from Eurosatory on June 16, MBDA showed the Land Cruise Missile Mk-2 (LCM Mk-2), a land-launched derivative of the MdCN, also known as SCALP Naval, together with a four-cell Ground Launch System that shares its launch architecture with the naval version. FW-Mag gives a range “exceeding 1,000 km” and lists improvements including a new imaging infrared seeker, next-generation anti-jamming for GNSS-denied environments, and an optimized flight profile and nose geometry for a reduced radar cross-section.

Naval News published a video in July with Paul Houot, MBDA’s product line owner for deep strike, who described the missile as having a range “over 1,000 km” and a ground launch system available from 2029 that can deploy in battery in less than 15 minutes with four missiles loaded. FW-Mag reported that MBDA is set to sign with the DGA “before the end of 2026” to acquire the missile in its naval configuration, while the land version has no contract and is being developed with MBDA France’s own funding. It gave “operational availability from 2029.”

What Defense Express adds

  • France is the only operator of the MdCN, with an order for 200 missiles. Production under those contracts continued until 2021, after which there were no orders, and a decision to restart production was taken this year.
  • Mk2 deliveries are “expected to begin in 2030.” The article estimates that about three years could be allocated to ramping up MdCN Mk2 and LCM production, and it gives the ground-launched LCM a readiness of 2029–2030.
  • Upgrades it lists: a modified nose fairing, a new infrared seeker for terminal guidance, an optoelectronic terrain-following navigation system, and improved satellite and inertial guidance. It gives no seeker specifications.
  • Baseline MdCN figures: length 6.5 m, diameter 500 mm, warhead mass 250 kg and total mass 1,400 kg, launched from ships through the Sylver A70 vertical launch system.
  • It describes the MdCN as Europe’s only analogue of the US Tomahawk and says France wants it to complement the air-launched SCALP-EG.

Where the accounts differ

MBDA, as reported by FW-Mag and Naval News, points to 2029 for operational availability and for the ground launch system, while Defense Express gives 2030 for Mk2 deliveries without naming a source. Lens found no DGA statement or contract announcement confirming that a signature is near, and none of the reports it read gives a contract value or quantity. Defense Express says production was halted after 2021 and restarted this year; the FW-Mag and Naval News pages Lens read do not mention a halt or restart, and Lens could not verify the figure of 200 missiles ordered.

Background

The French Navy frigate Aquitaine fired the first MdCN off the island of Levant near Toulon on May 19, 2015, according to a Marine nationale caption, in the presence of engineers from the DGA and MBDA.

Sources and notes

Sources: Defense Express, November 6, 2026 (no named author); FW-Mag, Carolina Paizs, June 16, 2026; Naval News, Xavier Vavasseur, July 2026. Notes: Defense Express attributes the “nearing contract signature” statement to the DGA, treats the 1,000 km range as following from the upgrades, and gives most other figures (200 missiles, 2030 deliveries, the production halt, the upgrade list and baseline specifications) without a source. The date on the Naval News page is shown as 02/07/2026, which Lens reads as July. Lens could not load the EDR Magazine and Janes pages on the Eurosatory announcement and did not find a DGA or MBDA press release. Thumbnail photo: the frigate Aquitaine firing the first MdCN on May 19, 2015, by Marine nationale, released under the Licence Ouverte (Etalab) via Wikimedia Commons; cropped. It shows the 2015 firing of the earlier missile, not the Mk II.

Image: Marine nationale (Licence Ouverte), via Wikimedia Commons.