What Happened
Paris Seeks Sovereign Capability to Replace Aging LRU Fleet
France has entered into exclusive negotiations with MBDA and Safran for the procurement of a long-range artillery system to replace its aging fleet of LRU, according to Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin. The program, launched in 2023, aims to select a replacement for the nearly obsolete LRUs, set to be retired as early as 2027. The offer put forward by the two European companies focuses on the French-made Thundart artillery system, which has a range of 150 km that can extend beyond 1,000 km with the integration of the Land Cruise Missile. This development was first reported by Breaking Defense.