MBDA makes first ONE WAY EFFECTOR sale to France

European missile house MBDA has signed a contract with the French Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) for the development and production of the ONE WAY EFFECTOR – LIGHT (OWE-L), a long-range loitering munition designed to saturate enemies’ defences. The manufacturing agreement was signed late in 2025 and the OWE will enter service in 2026, according to MBDA.

Launched during the 2025 Paris Air Show, the OWE-L delivers a compromise between the need for mass and performance at a lower cost. It is designed to ensure operational superiority in challenging contexts and high-intensity conflicts. 

Developed with MBDA’s partner Aviation Design and key industry partners, the OWE-L is set to revolutionise battlefield dynamics, the company said in a media release. This innovative production setup ensures production at scale, aligning perfectly with the demands of modern warfare, it adds. MBDA is a consortium jointly owned by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.

It took less than a year between the project’s announcement, the first test firing and the first contract signature. This unprecedented timeframe has been made possible notably by the DGA’s innovative “Defence Drone Pact”, based on a cooperative and agile approach with industry.

The swift development of the OWE-L highlights MBDA’s ability to accelerate and innovate, and rapidly address emerging military needs, especially in light of evolving conflict doctrines, the company says.