Europe is moving to develop its own exoatmospheric interceptor capable of defeating intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs), including threats such as russia's Oreshnik. During the inaugural meeting of the newly established European Ballistic Missile Defence Coalition, which includes Ukraine and nine other countries, Thales, Airbus Defence and Space, Destinus, MBDA Deutschland, and Safran Electronics & Defense agreed to jointly develop a new interceptor designed to be fully compatible with NATO missile defense systems as well as the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI).
The five companies signed a Letter of Intent establishing the Bliksem EXO consortium, which will be responsible for developing, manufacturing, and supporting the sovereign European missile defense system of the same name. According to Thales, the new interceptor is intended to complement, rather than replace, Europe's existing lower-tier missile defense capabilities and become part of a layered missile defense architecture.
Read more: Breaking Down russian Propaganda Claims: Putin Says Oreshnik Launches Were Tests, Not Combat Strikes
The Letter of Intent envisions signing the formal consortium agreement within the next three months. The partners aim to begin engineering work as early as August 2026, while the first tests of the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) are planned for 2027.
One particularly notable aspect of the project is that Destinus, a Dutch company founded only in 2021, has been selected as the consortium leader and prime contractor despite having considerably less experience than the other participants. The company is best known for developing the Ruta cruise missile, which is already being supplied to Ukraine's Defense Forces. Within the Bliksem EXO program, Destinus will serve as the overall systems integrator and will also be responsible for developing the interceptor itself.
Under the current division of responsibilities, MBDA Deutschland will develop the booster, launcher, and launch canister; Safran Electronics & Defense will provide the seeker along with the guidance, navigation, and control systems; Airbus Defence and Space will develop the BMC4I architecture (Battle Management, Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence); and Thales will supply the radar and sensor network, covering everything from early warning to target detection.
Notably, at this year's Eurosatory exhibition, Thales unveiled its new family of DeepFinder ultra-high-frequency early warning radars, designed specifically to detect ballistic missile threats such as the Oreshnik at ranges of up to 5,000 km, reducing Europe's dependence on U.S. early warning capabilities.
According to Thales, Bliksem EXO "will not only be a next-generation system, but one designed for the realities of modern warfare." The company noted that the system's development will incorporate operational lessons learned by Ukraine while defending against large-scale Russian missile attacks. At the same time, Ukraine's practical experience against weapons specifically comparable to the Oreshnik remains relatively limited due to the unique nature of that threat.
From Defense Express's perspective, developing such a missile defense system represents an exceptionally demanding technological challenge. Alexandre Ziegler, Head of Defense Global Business at Safran, acknowledged as much, stating that "intercepting targets outside the atmosphere is the most challenging mission in missile defense and requires an extraordinary level of precision."
On the positive side, the project already features a clearly defined distribution of responsibilities among all participating companies. That could significantly reduce the risk of future industrial disputes over workshare, an issue that complicated previous multinational European programs such as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
Earlier, Defense Express also examined what russia's future Oreshnik launches may look like after even the Kremlin's own leader effectively admitted that the missile was not what it had been portrayed to be.
Read more: How Many Oreshnik IRBMs russia Has and What Their Production Rate Is
