MBDA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Australian munitions company NIOA to explore the manufacturing of its Mistral missiles in Australia.
The MoU was signed during the Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition in Sydney on 5 November 2025.
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The agreement also sets out plans to examine options for assembling or producing Australian-made warheads for the Mistral suite of missiles. The goal is to incorporate Australian industry into the global supply chain for this system.
NIOA Group CEO Rob Nioa said the collaboration aligns with the Australian Government’s Defence Industry Development Strategy and its drive for greater industrial cooperation with trusted international entities.
Nioa said: “MBDA are world leaders in the missile industry. With the Australian Government’s focus on domestic manufacturing of a wider range of munitions and the expansion of partnerships with industry, the timing is right for NIOA and MBDA to take this first and significant step.”
The Mistral missile, developed in France, is a very short-range air defence (VSHORAD) missile system.
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By GlobalDataIt is designed to operate on a “fire-and-forget” mode and is claimed to reach supersonic speeds with high manoeuvrability.
These capabilities allow it to intercept threats, including aircraft, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles, naval gunboats equipped with missiles, and loitering munitions.
Mistral can be used in land, maritime and air domains, supporting flexibility in deployment through man-portable launchers or platform integration.
Recent increases in demand from European customers led MBDA to deliver its 2,000th Mistral 3 missile.
MBDA business development executive Pierre-Marie Belleau said: “Mistral is a class leading VSHORAD capability, ideally suited as an effector in a multi-layered and integrated air defence.”
In April2025, the Philippine Navy’s guided-missile frigate, BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), successfully conducted its inaugural test firing of two MBDA Mistral 3 surface-to-air missiles (SAM).
