European defense group MBDA announced at DSEI 2025 that it is developing the Akeron MBT, a new tank-launched guided missile designed to expand the company’s Akeron family of precision weapons.
The system will be fired from 120 mm smoothbore tank guns, matching the dimensions and weight of standard NATO 120×570 mm ammunition, allowing crews to load it like a conventional round.
Although MBDA did not disclose detailed performance figures, the missile is expected to feature a shaped-charge warhead capable of penetrating more than 1,000 mm of armor. Powered solely by its rocket motor, the Akeron MBT will launch with reduced stress on onboard electronics and travel at low supersonic speed.
The missile will be equipped with a passive electro-optical seeker operating in both TV and infrared bands, offering a “fire-and-forget” mode as well as potential two-way radio link guidance for engagements beyond the crew’s line of sight. It will also feature top-attack capability, enabling strikes against vehicles behind cover or against the more vulnerable roof armor of modern combat platforms. This profile could also help counter active protection systems.
While MBDA has not specified the missile’s exact range, it is projected to reach around five kilometers, significantly enhancing the reach of tank crews in complex battlefield environments. The program aims to give tanks the ability to conduct beyond-line-of-sight engagements, a key capability against emerging threats.
If development stays on track, test firings of the Akeron MBT could begin in 2026, with series production potentially following within a few years. Integration with tank fire control systems remains under study.
The Akeron MBT joins the Akeron MP, already in serial production, and underscores MBDA’s strategy of broadening the Akeron family to meet evolving operational demands in high-intensity warfare.
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