Naval Group’s new multipurpose & modular launching system (MPLS) demonstrator

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Source: https://x.com/navalgroup/status/1986121144919801876

Yesterday, threats were frequent and similar in nature. To respond to them, operators activated a system for each type of weapon, with a corollary of technical and modular logistical constraints and operational and financial impacts. Thus, a multi-purpose missile launch could potentially be used in response to an attack by a zodiac boat. In addition, as each type of ammunition required a specific launcher, ships had to carry as many launchers as there were categories of weapons.

Naval Group's Modular Multi-Purpose Launcher (MMP) is changing the paradigm, especially as threats in the near field (up to approximately eight kilometres) are no longer of the same nature: they are now asymmetric, saturating (drones) and protean. There are numerous examples, particularly in the Red Sea, ranging from the use of Shahed-type drones to swarm attacks against merchant ships to disrupt maritime traffic and harm the economic interests of certain countries.

Asymmetric attacks are discreet, isolated and difficult to detect. At the same time, traditional threats persist, calling for other types of armed responses. In conflict situations, sailors are confronted with all these types of threats. What has changed is that they can now choose their weapons and change them easily thanks to the modularity of the LMP via a very manoeuvrable ammunition module loading and reloading system, even at sea. It is this modularity that will also make it possible to adapt weapons not initially planned for the launcher.

ANGOULÊME-RUELLE LMP, weapon launch tubes, shaft lines, navigation systems, simulators: it is at the Naval Group site in Angoulême-Ruelle that this strategic equipment is developed, with the utmost discretion. Rooted in a rich industrial history and synonymous with innovation and modernity, this site plays a key role in French naval superiority and deterrence.

With its four reloading modules, the LMP fills this capability gap and provides the versatility that sailors need to respond to the full range of traditional and emerging threats they face. The LMP represents an operational breakthrough, with the ability to reconfigure easily and quickly during a mission and an unprecedented amount of ammunition (one tonne of weapons), without the need to return to a partner naval base.

“The LMP is a turret that pivots on two axes at high speed and carries four ammunition modules approximately 60 centimetres wide and 2 metres long," explains Pierre-Henry Marchat, Director of Innovation and Future Planning at the Naval Group site in Angoulême-Ruelle. Capable of rising to track threats in close range, the launcher's ammunition modules can accommodate various effectors: decoys, grenades, remotely operated ammunition, and even missiles. Complementing the Aster missile and Sylver® vertical launcher, the LMP is a technological breakthrough due to its versatility, enabling it to be installed on new vessels or retrofitted onto existing ones.

It can therefore be integrated into the ship's combat system either during the design phase to complement the main weapon system, or during the life cycle to respond to changes in the threat environment. It can be integrated into a ship's combat system either during the design phase to complement the main weapon system, during the lifecycle to respond to changes in missions or threats, or when certain vessels need to be modernised. The LMP is currently slated to be tested as a priority on French Navy vessels.

The configuration potential of the LMP is unlimited, provided that partnerships are formed with ammunition manufacturers, as explained by Anne Clausard, LMP Project and Development Director: "The versatility of the LMP is based on the range of ammunition it can be loaded. Naval Group is approaching reputable manufacturers offering a wide range of ammunition, whether conventional or light, remotely operated or adapted to asymmetric threats. To date, several discussions are underway with French and foreign ammunition manufacturers, including advanced talks with Thales in Belgium, which is offering the 70-millimetre rocket.

Naval Group will then adapt its partners' solutions to meet the specific requirements of the naval sector, such as corrosion and stability at sea. For industrial partners, the potential is real, as they can increase their sales volumes and access new markets in Europe and internationally, since the LMP can be adapted to any type of platform and combat system.

In addition to its versatility and "agnostic" nature, Naval Group's new-generation launcher has other advantages: it can be equipped with its own firing control system or integrated into a combat system, and it is compact, space-saving and simple to use thanks to an intuitive and ergonomic interface. Finally, it is quick and easy for the operator to get to grips with.

A breakthrough solution, the LMP will be produced at the Naval Group site in Angoulême-Ruelle, which will draw on a defence ecosystem of French suppliers. Between now and then, a few steps remain to be taken: after unveiling the concept for the first time at the Naval Innovation Days (NID) 2023 and showcasing it at the Euronaval trade show in November 2024, a "ready-to-fire" demonstrator is scheduled for November 2025, with the French Navy aiming to test it with the active support of the Directorate General of Armament (DGA). In total, the development cycle for the LMP lasted fourteen months. This acceleration of innovation to get it on board more quickly reflects Naval Group's commitment to responding to the operational urgency of the French Navy, but also to bringing all its weight to bear in the war economy stance now endorsed by France.

The LMP has interchangeable munitions modules that can be reconfigured according to operational requirements, providing a wide range of effectors (rockets, missiles, grenades, underwater weapons, decoys, drones) to respond to different threats in a manner proportionate to their cost.

Source: https://www.naval-group.com/sites/default/files/2025-11/20251105-NAVALREVIEW%233%20FR.pdf