At the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition in London, held from 9 to 12 September 2025, MBDA officially presented the CROSSBOW One Way Effector Heavy, describing it as an affordable deep strike solution for NATO forces.
The system, which can deliver kinetic and non-kinetic payloads of up to 300kg at ranges beyond 800km, was developed in only seven months, moving from a paper design to demonstration readiness. A live-fire test is expected in the fourth quarter of 2025 if a customer backs the programme.
Ground-launched from the back of a vehicle, Crossbow has been designed to provide “combat mass” in high-intensity conflicts and complex electromagnetic environments. MBDA highlighted its modular design, which combines military and commercial off-the-shelf subsystems, enabling scalable production as early as the second quarter of 2026.
Eric Béranger, CEO of MBDA, said: “This project exemplifies the spirit and values of MBDA. It shows that we understand the context of the world today and are adapting, not just to the threat environment, but the procurement environment too. We are demonstrating we are ‘Battle Ready’ with our confidence in our understanding and anticipation of requirements. Our people are also showing their strengths through this project. Cooperation with partners, agile working with a rapid decision mind-set and a tolerance of risk. We are showing we can be different, in what are now different times.”
Crossbow was designed in parallel to the OWE concept launched at the Paris Air Show earlier this year. MBDA emphasises that its architecture supports spiral development in survivability, lethality and navigation, while allowing customers to configure production through domestic supply chains if desired.