A successful firing by the French Navy of the latest-generation Mer-Mer 40 Block 3c (MM40 B3c) Exocet anti-ship missile took place on 20 September 2023, manufacturer MBDA announced on 28 September.
The firing was conducted by the FREMM frigate Alsace off the coast of the Direction générale de l’armement (DGA) missile test centre, located on the French Mediterranean island of Ile du Levant.
The MM40 B3c is the latest generation of MBDA’s Exocet family of anti-ship missiles, which can be integrated onto a wide variety of platforms, including surface ships, submarines, fast jets, helicopters and coastal batteries. Previous versions of the Exocet are in service with several navies around the world.
The B3c generation builds on the successive improvements made to the Exocet throughout its service. The MM40 B3c includes all the characteristics for which Exocet is renowned, in particular its all-weather capability and high flexibility of use. In addition, this latest missile benefits from new seeker technology and the development of new algorithms designed to meet the latest operational requirements of anti-ship warfare.
“I am extremely proud of the success of this operational evaluation firing of the Exocet MM40 B3c, performed from the multi-mission Alsace frigate,” MBDA CEO Eric Béranger was quoted as saying in a company press release. “It proves the new capabilities of the missile’s latest generation, whose major developments keep it at the forefront in a high-intensity context. Exocet is a real symbol for MBDA, and this success is further proof of the skill and technical excellence of MBDA’s people. I would also like to thank the DGA and French Navy for this firing.”
MBDA has continued to develop the Exocet since it first entered service in 1975. The Exocet MM40 B3c is MBDA’s response to new conflicts with an evolving threat spectrum, in particular high-intensity combat in complex electronic warfare environments.
