IN Brief:
- France's DGA has exercised an optional tranche of its July 2024 contract with KNDS and DELAIR.
- The MX-10 DAMOCLES has a manufacturer-stated 10km range and can be prepared for deployment in under five minutes.
- Initial deliveries began in December 2025, while quantities and delivery dates for the new batch remain undisclosed.
France has ordered another batch of MX-10 DAMOCLES loitering munitions from KNDS and DELAIR, exercising an optional tranche of the procurement contract awarded in July 2024. The decision by the Direction générale de l’armement (DGA), France’s defence procurement agency, will support an increase in production capacity for the short-range weapon following initial deliveries to the French armed forces.
The new order continues an established procurement programme rather than initiating development of a replacement system. KNDS and DELAIR began delivering MX-10 DAMOCLES in December 2025 after completing the development and qualification work associated with the original contract. Although the manufacturers confirmed that a further production batch will be supplied, they have not disclosed its value, quantity or delivery timetable. No numerical manufacturing target has been provided in the latest announcement.
MX-10 DAMOCLES was developed under France’s MTO-CP programme for short-range remotely operated munitions. The weapon combines an uncrewed aerial platform with a fragmentation warhead and equipment allowing an operator to identify and engage a target remotely. Unlike a surveillance aircraft designed to return after completing a mission, the munition carries its payload to the target and is expended during an engagement. Its configuration is intended to provide French forces with a domestically developed capability for engaging targets at relatively short distances.
KNDS specifies a range of 10km and states that the system can be prepared for deployment in under five minutes. Its published characteristics include a target search capability, a fragmentation warhead and an arming safety device intended to reduce handling risks before launch. The manufacturers identify protected vehicles among the potential targets, although the effectiveness of a particular engagement depends on the target and operating conditions. No additional warhead configuration or change to the munition’s stated range was announced with the latest order.
MX-10 DAMOCLES is also described by KNDS as resilient to electronic warfare. Radio communications and positioning services can be affected by interference or intentional disruption, creating additional requirements for the control and navigation of remotely operated systems. The manufacturer has not published detailed performance measurements for specific jamming conditions, however, and the description should not be taken as evidence that the munition is unaffected by all forms of electronic attack.
The weapon belongs to the MATARIS family of loitering munitions, which KNDS is developing with specialist partners to address different target and operating requirements. DELAIR contributes expertise in uncrewed aircraft technology, while KNDS provides defence systems and munitions engineering capabilities. Developing the combined equipment for repeated production requires consistency across airframe components, electronic assemblies and the weapon’s safety-related systems. Each manufacturing batch must meet the applicable configuration and acceptance requirements before delivery.
France’s original procurement followed development work under the Colibri initiative, which sought to establish a national industrial capability for shorter-range loitering munitions. The initial order covered 460 MX-10 DAMOCLES systems, according to French programme reporting. That quantity belongs to the earlier procurement and should not be attributed to the newly exercised option, for which official figures remain unavailable.
Increasing output will require KNDS and DELAIR to coordinate production activities and the availability of qualified components, although neither company has specified which facilities will expand or the investment required. Maintaining manufacturing consistency is particularly important for expendable weapons because production must provide sufficient quantities without compromising the testing and handling requirements associated with the completed munitions. The new order establishes further demand within the existing industrial arrangement, but the resulting production rate has yet to be confirmed.
The programme is intended to serve both the French Army and French Navy, and the manufacturers are pursuing export opportunities. No additional foreign customer or export contract was identified in the October announcement. The DGA’s decision therefore provides a further domestic procurement commitment while commercial discussions continue elsewhere, with future announcements expected to clarify the number of munitions ordered, the delivery schedule and the scale of the planned production increase.
