MBDA Unveils ONE WAY EFFECTOR: a Solution to Saturate Enemies’ Defences

At the 2025 Paris Air Show, MBDA is presenting ONE WAY EFFECTOR. Development of this sovereign long-range solution is taking place through an innovative production setup, in partnership with a drone manufacturer and industry players, notably from the automotive sector.

ONE WAY EFFECTOR represents a trade-off between the need for mass and performance at lower cost to meet the challenges faced by armed forces in a high-intensity context. ONE WAY EFFECTOR is a new attrition proposition based on feedback from the armed forces, particularly from the conflict in Ukraine.

Fired from the ground in salvoes, the ONE WAY EFFECTOR is aimed at exhausting enemy resources by exerting constant pressure on hostile air defence systems, with a warhead large enough to compel the enemy's defences to destroy it. In so doing, the new effector is intended to force even the most sophisticated air defences to reveal themselves, making them easier to detect and neutralise, in conjunction with other long-range strike systems.

Eric Béranger, CEO of MBDA, declared:

“ONE WAY EFFECTOR once again demonstrates MBDA's agility to innovate and seek new ways to meet the challenges of the new conflicts doctrines. MBDA has already demonstrated its ability to scale up, and continues to adapt through the development of new effectors that meet the need for mass, thanks to unique partnerships with civilian industry. MBDA is currently the only player in Europe offering a complete range of systems enabling forces to fulfil all of their missions, from decision-making weapons to saturation effectors.”

The ONE WAY EFFECTOR proposition combines MBDA's expertise in cruise missiles and remote-controlled munitions. Thanks to innovative partnerships, it benefits from new drone technologies and from civilian industry’s production capabilities. This new proposition, expressly designed for high-volume production, follows a new industrial model. An unprecedented cooperation with the automotive industry that will enable mass production on demand, with an output of up to a thousand units a month.

With the development of ONE WAY EFFECTOR, MBDA is expanding its portfolio of saturation weapon solutions and once again demonstrating its ability to adapt to the needs of armed forces, enabling them to carry out their missions in a new strategic environment.

“We are waiting for French MoD consultation on the subject,” Hugo Coqueret, business development manager, battlefield domain, told reporters at Le Bourget. “We will be waiting for the specific requirements of the French DGA [France’s defense procurement agency] but we’ve already had some talks with the French armed forces to make sure that this missile is perfectly fitted for the mission.”

A first test demonstration of the system, which is effectively a one-way drone, is planned for “autumn” this year, ahead of meeting a target of producing a “first batch” by 2027, according to Coqueret.

“It is a very quick development [schedule], we are not waiting for anything,” he said.

MBDA also plans on collaborating with an undisclosed automotive manufacturer to hit the rapid production goal.

“It’s still a partnership that needs to be thought through at the beginning, because the ammunition needs to be built and engineered in a way that will be produced on the factory lines of the automotive industry,” said Coqueret.

Reaching the 1,000 unit production target means that the “armed forces will be able to receive lots at a reduced cost and be able to use plenty of them….to saturate enemy air defenses,” he added.

Coqueret also noted that international conflicts have demonstrated the need for low-cost effectors.

“What we’ve seen in Ukraine, what we’ve seen in the Middle East, it’s somewhat new and I think we are the first in France to be able to present such” a solution, he shared.

The effector’s airframe manufacturer has prior experience of deploying systems to Ukraine, noted Coqueret.

At an operational level, “we will be launching lots of them, and the [enemy] air defense will be targeting them…. [so] reducing the stock of air defense ammunition,” said Coqueret.

Additionally, the low cost solution can either be launched from a ramp or an “integrated hangar,” and can operate in GNSS denied environments, he commented.

Sources: MBDA ; Breaking Defense