Drones
France orders more MX-10 DAMOCLES loitering munitions from KNDS and Delair
The French Defence Procurement Agency has exercised an optional tranche for more MX-10 DAMOCLES loitering munitions, KNDS says, with first deliveries having started in December 2025.
France’s Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) has ordered an additional batch of MX-10 DAMOCLES loitering munitions, KNDS said on 13 October. The company announced the order in Versailles, saying the DGA had exercised an optional tranche of a contract signed in July 2024 in order to raise production capacity. The number of munitions and the value were not given.
The MX-10 DAMOCLES is made by KNDS together with the French drone maker Delair. According to KNDS, first deliveries under the 2024 contract began in December 2025, and the system was developed and qualified quickly for the Ministry of the Armed Forces’ “MTO-CP” procurement programme. KNDS describes it as the reference loitering munition for the French Army and French Navy.
What the system does
KNDS lists a fragmentation warhead with an arming safety device, deployment in under five minutes and a range of 10 km, with the ability to search for targets. It says the munition can engage a wide range of targets, including protected vehicles, and that it resists the latest electronic warfare capabilities. These figures come from the manufacturer and have not been independently verified.
The DAMOCLES belongs to MATARIS, which KNDS presents as the first family of sovereign loitering munitions in France, intended to strike land targets from logistics convoys to heavy armour. The company adds that the MX-10 is “currently the subject of several export sales campaigns”, without naming any customer.
Context
Loitering munitions have become a regular feature of European procurement. Geopolitiki has recently reported on other programmes, including Heaviside Tyr: US-Norwegian loitering munition with a Nammo anti-armour warhead for under $100,000 and STARK and Thales Australia team up to build Cascade loitering munitions for the Bushmaster.
KNDS, formed from Nexter and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, says it has nearly 11,000 employees, 2025 revenue of €4.4 billion and an order backlog of €33.1 billion at the end of 2025. Delair, based in Toulouse, says it has more than 200 staff.
