Mistral 3 becomes the pivot of new French CIWS systems

Entering service in the mid-2010s, the Mistral 3 short-range anti-aircraft missile is today one of the spearheads of the European missile manufacturer MBDA. A worthy heir to the Mistral family, which entered service in 1988 and has sold over 15000 units to date, the new missile is indeed multiplying international successes, in Europe and around the world, to the point that MBDA announced a few months ago that it would increase monthly production of its missile from 20 to 60 units, to meet needs.

Beyond the various land systems that rely on this new missile with its exceptional and combat-proven performance, the Mistral 3 seems to be at the heart of a small revolution underway within the French naval BITD manufacturers.

Indeed, at the Euronaval 2024 show, no fewer than three new CIWS systems, of French design, are being presented, all three of which are based around the Mistral 3, to ensure or reinforce the very short-range anti-aircraft, anti-missile and anti-drone defense of surface units.

CIWS shunned by the French Navy and defense industry until recently

It must be said that, until recently, CIWS, or Close Incoming Weapon Systems, were not very popular with French naval manufacturers. And for good reason: despite the appeal of these self-defense systems, which became widespread in world navies with the American RAM and Phalanx and the Russian AK630, the French Navy never wanted to equip itself with them.

For the French general staff, in fact, the threat posed, after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, by missiles and aircraft (there was no question of drones yet), to its frigates, patrol boats and large surface units, did not require the addition of these bulky and expensive systems, favoring, budgetarily speaking, the number of hulls, over the completeness of their armament.

In fact, the first ship equipped with a close-in defence system will be the new fleet supply vessel, or BRF, Jacques Chevalier, which will enter service in 2023, equipped with the new 40 mm RapidFire cannon co-developed by KNDS France and Thales.

This new naval artillery system, derived from the CT40 which equips, among others, the Army's new EBRC Jaguar armoured reconnaissance vehicle, makes it possible to place a protective bubble of 4 to 5 km around the ship against different types of threats, ranging from low-flying anti-ship missiles to drones, surface drones and aircraft.

Faced with the evolving threat, the French Navy has therefore decided to equip all its new second-line units with RapidFire, in this case the BRF, but also the large mine warfare vessels and the new offshore patrol vessels.

However, for the time being, frontline ships, frigates, destroyers, aircraft carriers and amphibious helicopter carriers, are not subject to any modernization program in this area. But things could soon change, particularly based on the lessons learned from the deployments of French and European frigates in the Red Sea, facing Houthi missiles and drones.

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