The first long-range firing test of the Akeron LP guided anti-tank missile was successfully performed at the Essais de Missile firing center, supervised by DGA armament agency of the French Ministry of Defense. The exercise was aimed to "validate the overall behaviour of the missile for a typical trajectory" and confirm the thrust of the booster and the main propulsion system, as well as wing and fin opening systems, as reported by the pan-European Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR).
The test was part of the MAST-F missile program managed by OCCAR for France and was done in coordination with the local branch of MBDA and representatives from DGA. Dubbed by the French military as the MAST-F missile, Akeron LP is supposed to replace the AGM-114R Hellfire II and is primarily intended to be used by a new modification of the Eurocopter Tiger MkIII helicopter.
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And here's the problem: the modernization of Tiger helicopters to the Mk.3 modification was terminated because of shortcomings discovered when analyzing the helicopter warfare lessons from the war in Ukraine. As follows from an Opex360 article published back in November 2023, the integration of the new missile could take too long. Hence, the concept switched to a less ambitious Mk.2+ variant that prioritized combat drones over ATGMs.
At this point, the question is: if the carrier is cancelled yet the development of Akeron LP continues, then how do they plan to use it? There are not many alternative options for a launch platform: either the MDBA hopes that the Tiger Mk3 will appear eventually, or they hope to find foreign buyers and integrate their missile with a different helicopter, or they consider adapting them for surface-based launchers.
In the initially designed air-to-ground mode, Akeron LP boasts an impressive 20-kilometer range but from the ground, the parameter goes down to 8 km, which is comparable to the air-to-ground range of the mentioned Hellfire II it was set to replace. Akeron LP's weight is declared under 40 kilograms, so it would enable a Tiger Mk3 to take up to 12 missiles on a mission.
This missile's distinct feature is the guidance and control technologies. Akeron LP has a camera sending the image to the operator via radio signal and integrates image processing algorithms based on artificial intelligence to allow target designation in the fire-and-forget mode.
Besides the Akeron LP, the 5th generation Akeron missile family (introduced in June 2022) also features the Akeron MP, a type that was from the get-go intended for use from the ground by infantry, armored vehicles, and marines from inflatable boats. It has a much shorter range of 4 km and is controlled via an optical cable.
Read more: Paris Denies the Transfer of the Latest Akeron MP ATGM to Ukraine
