The French ArianeGroup presented a sea-based ballistic anti-ship missile at the Euronaval 2026 exhibition in Paris, expanding the capabilities of the B-Strike family to strike ships and mobile ground targets at a range of over 1,000 km.
According to Navy Recognition, the B-Strike 1000 is a single–stage solid-fuel rocket with a length of 7 meters and a diameter of 609.6 mm. It is equipped with a maneuvering combat unit (MaRV) and is designed for speeds of over Mach 10 (12,250 km/h) and an altitude of over 120 km. The flight to the target at a distance of 1000 km will take about 10 minutes – six to seven times faster than a subsonic cruise missile, which is important for hitting mobile targets. The accuracy of the hit is stated to be less than 10 meters. The mass of the warhead and the total launch weight are not disclosed.
B-Strike 1000 anti-ship ballistic missile
ArianeGroup
There are four variants of launchers: an eight-cell vertical launcher (VLS), a rotary ship launcher for two missiles, a mobile coastal battery and a single launcher on an unmanned boat SP200.
As Navy Recognition notes, the B-Strike 1000 remains an industrial offering: there is no purchase contract or approved integration program for the French Navy. The missile is based on the B-Strike land-based family, presented five months earlier at Eurosatory 2026 in collaboration with Thales and Soframe.
To illustrate the maritime integration, ArianeGroup used the Admiral Ronark frigate, the lead French frigate of the FDI type, transferred to the fleet in October 2025. ArianeGroup offers either a separate eight-cell VLS module or a rotary launcher for two ballistic missiles, probably instead of the Exocet missile launcher. None of the options are interchangeable with existing Sylver A50 cells without redesign, and the length of the rocket affects the depth of the launcher, structural integration, and internal volume.
"The anti–ship version faces a more complex targeting problem than the ground–based one: the position of the ship or vessel varies greatly between detection, launch and arrival of the missile," states Navy Recognition. "ArianeGroup is counting on radio frequency geo–positioning satellites, similar to the French Unseenlabs devices, to detect radiating objects, and then on the homing head on the MaRV combat unit.".
The B-Strike 1000 came about after about five years of ArianeGroup's research into conventional ballistic missiles. The company relies on engine, guidance, and reentry technologies developed in the M51 program and experiments: the flight of the V-MAX hypersonic glider in June 2023, the launches of the SyLEx sounding rockets in November 2025 and November 2026, as well as the launch of the FLP-T-150 on May 5, 2026.
However, the publication draws attention to the fact that in September of this year, the French authorities chose a competing mobile Thundart missile system from the MBDA–Safran consortium for army needs (26 complexes, an option for another 26 units; initial readiness is in 2029). Its range is limited to 150 km, and the mass of the warhead is about 100 kg.
France is also considering a broader program of conventional land–based ballistic missiles with a range of at least 2,500 km (for comparison, the MdCN cruise missile is about 1,400 km). 1-1.2 billion euros can be allocated for initial development, with a possible prototype launch in 2028 and initial operational readiness of the family in 2031-2032.
