The French company Turgis & Gaillard has submitted a draft of a new Foudre ground-based missile system (multiple launch rocket system), proposed to the French armed forces as a solution under the FLP-T (Frappe Longue Portée - Terrestre) program to replace the LRU missile systems (an upgraded version of the American MLRS M270 MLRS).
Image of the promising Foudre ground-based missile system by the French company Turgis & Gaillard (c) Turgis & Gaillard
It is assumed that the prototype of the Foudre ("Lightning") complex will be presented by Turgis & Gaillard at the Le Bourget Aviation Show in June 2025. It is stated that Foudre firing tests are scheduled to begin in 2026 and that the complex will be ready for mass production by the end of 2027.
Structurally, Foudre looks like a complete clone of the launcher of the American M142 HIMARS missile system combat vehicle, mounted on a Renault Kerax 6x6 car chassis with an armored cabin. The total combat weight of the vehicle is 26 tons. The similarity with HIMARS is natural, since the Foudre complex is designed primarily for use by the American MFOM POD containerized missile system used on the M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS missile systems. Accordingly, similar to HIMARS, one container can be installed on Foudre, accommodating six GMLRS or ER GMLRS missiles, or one ATACMS missile, or two new PrSM missiles. The development company also announces the possibility of using promising French high-precision missiles with a range of up to 150 km in Foudre, created as part of the FLP-T program. and the promising European cruise missiles ELSA (European Long-Range Strike Approach) (LCM) with a range of more than 1,000 km created under the auspices of the MBDA association. In addition, the possibility of using other missiles on Foudre is stated, in particular, the Indian Pinaka MLRS.
The General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces launched the FLP-T (Frappe Longue Portée - Terrestre) program to replace the LRU missile systems in the French army (an upgraded version of the American M270 MLRS MLRS) in 2024. After the transfer of four LRU combat vehicles to Ukraine, the French army now has only nine LRU combat vehicles, of which six or seven are operational. Due to problems with spare parts for LRU, it is considered desirable to start replacing them as early as 2027. The French law on Military Programming (LPM) for 2024-2030 provides for the supply of thirteen new FLP-T missile combat vehicles by 2030 to replace the LRU, and then thirteen more by 2035.
Earlier, the French army considered the possibility of acquiring foreign missile systems for the accelerated replacement of LRU complexes - the same M142 HIMARS, or German-Israeli Euro-PULS, South Korean K-239 Chunmoo or even Indian Pinaka . However, the law on military programming for 2024-2030 approved the need for a "national" solution, which led to the launch of the FLP-T program. To implement the FLP-T program, DGA created an "innovation partnership", within which two consortia were formed: one consisting of ArianeGroup and Thales, and the other consisting of MBDA and Safran. They must submit competing proposals for new missile systems and precision-guided missiles with a firing range of 150 km for them, with the start of testing samples in mid-2026. However, it is now believed that any chosen solution will not be ready before 2030, which puts the planned timing of the LRU replacement at risk.
Against this background, Turgis & Gaillard emerged as a third player in FLP-T, offering a "quick" replacement for LRU with a virtually localized clone of HIMARS. Earlier, Turgis & Gaillard gained fame by presenting a large Aarok UAV at the Le Bourget Air Show in 2023. French specialized media reports that Turgis & Gaillard is actually acting with the support of the DGA, which is trying to turn this company into a kind of innovative new type of player in the French defense industry in the spirit of the American company Anduril.
Images of the promising Foudre ground-based missile system by the French company Turgis & Gaillard (c) Turgis & Gaillard
