The two models on display show two different designs: one with a single-stage solid-propellant booster and one with two stages, suggesting the company may be considering two distinct types with different ranges.
Both appear to show a separating re-entry vehicle fitted with aerodynamic control surfaces for terminal guidance and, potentially, manoeuvring. The MBT will likely use a road-mobile launcher for greater survivability. ArianeGroup has not yet commented on any development timeline.
A French element of ELSA? Reports in April 2025 from the National Defence and Armed Forces Committee of the French National Assembly suggested that France might propose the MBT as part of the European Long-range Strike Approach (ELSA) framework. France,
Germany, Italy and Poland launched ELSA in July 2024 with the intention to jointly and indigenously develop long-range strike capabilities, with Sweden and the United Kingdom subsequently joining the initiative in October 2024 and the Netherlands joining in November 2024. In addition,
the French division of MBDA is proposing the Land Cruise Missile, a ground-launched version of the sea-based, subsonic Missile de Croisière Naval/Naval Cruise Missile (MdCN-NCM). This offshoot of an existing cruise-missile design could be delivered faster than a new ballistic missile,
but it may offer a range short of 2,000 km, considering that the stated range of MdCN-NCM is only some 1,000 km. Recent conflicts have also shown that subsonic cruise missiles tend to be more vulnerable to interception than ballistic designs.
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