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Five European defense companies, led by aerospace startup Destinus, have announced plans to establish an industrial alliance to develop Europe’s first exo-atmospheric interceptor capable of countering ballistic missile threats. The consortium aims to conduct the first space-based test of the interceptor’s kill vehicle in 2027.
Destinus, MBDA, Safran, Airbus, and Thales signed a letter of intent in Paris to create the Bliksem EXO consortium. The partners intend to finalize a legally binding agreement within the next three months and begin collaborative engineering activities in August.
Europe currently lacks an indigenous capability to intercept medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during the mid-course phase of flight, before they re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. As Russia continues to expand its ballistic missile capabilities, European missile defense at this layer remains dependent on two U.S.-operated Aegis Ashore installations equipped with SM-3 interceptors, while Germany has opted to procure Israel’s Arrow-3 missile defense system.
According to Destinus CEO Mikhail Kokorich, Europe already possesses robust lower-tier missile defense systems but does not yet have a sovereign upper-layer solution to counter medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missile threats. He said the Bliksem EXO program is intended to bridge that capability gap through direct hit-to-kill interception outside the atmosphere.
The letter of intent was signed during the inaugural meeting of a newly established anti-ballistic coalition held in Paris, attended by Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
The Bliksem EXO interceptor is being designed to neutralize advanced ballistic missile threats, including weapons comparable to Russia’s Oreshnik intermediate-range missile equipped with maneuverable, separating re-entry vehicles. Instead of using an explosive payload, the system will rely on kinetic hit-to-kill technology, destroying incoming missiles through direct impact after detecting and tracking them in space.
Under the proposed division of responsibilities, Destinus will lead the consortium and oversee overall system integration along with development of the exo-atmospheric kill vehicle. The Netherlands-based company is known for developing unmanned aerial systems, including the Ruta Block 2 cruise missile, as well as turbojet propulsion technologies.
MBDA Deutschland will be responsible for the interceptor booster, launcher, and canister systems. Safran Electronics & Defense will develop the seeker and guidance, navigation, and control technologies for the kill vehicle. Airbus Defence and Space will manage the command-and-control and battle management systems, while Thales will supply the radar and sensor architecture, covering everything from early warning detection to fire-control capabilities.
The consortium emphasized that Bliksem EXO is intended to strengthen, rather than replace, existing and planned European missile defense assets. Operating as the upper layer of a multi-tiered missile defense architecture, the interceptor will complement terminal and theater-level systems already deployed across Europe.
The program is also being designed to integrate seamlessly with NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence framework while enhancing the European Sky Shield Initiative by filling its current upper-layer interception capability gap. Germany has previously identified the Arrow-3 interceptor as a potential exo-atmospheric component of the initiative.
The companies added that the interceptor’s design, testing, and evaluation process will incorporate operational lessons learned from Ukraine’s experience in defending against large-scale missile and aerial attacks.
