Brimstone offer to USA a test case for Europe, says MBDA

17 Mar 2015 By: Craig Hoyle - FG

European guided weapons specialist MBDA is waiting on a decision from the US government on whether to acquire its Brimstone air-to-surface missile, with the company’s chief executive warning that a rejection of its offer will call into question the openness of Washington’s defence acquisition policy.

Speaking about the company’s inability so far to meet growth targets for its MBDA Inc unit in the USA, Antoine Bouvier says: “The most significant opportunity we could have short-term is the Brimstone, for some US customers.”

A UK-developed weapon capable of striking moving ground targets in all weather conditions from fixed-wing aircraft and unmanned air vehicles, the dual-mode seeker-equipped Brimstone early last year completed a bilateral firing campaign from a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper in the USA. A potential order for the missile has also been the subject of discussions between British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama, industry sources confirm.

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