Paris Air Show 2025: UAV maker Boreal in long-range loitering munitions agreement with Thales
A model and concept graphic of the future MTO-LP long-range loitering munition announced through co-operation between Boreal and Thales at the Paris Air Show 2025. (Thales)
French long-range fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) maker Boreal SAS, part of Mistral Group, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Thales to co-operate on making a loitering munition, the companies announced at the Paris Air Show 2025, held from 16 to 22 June.
Thales has the Toutatis short-range loitering munition with a range of 10 km, but this will be a munition optimised for target engagements at long range. Up to 10 munitions could be launched simultaneously for co-ordinated operations, according to the company.
Thales said what it called the MTO-LP (Munition TĂ©lĂ©-OpĂ©rĂ©e â Longue PortĂ©e) would be based on Boreal's mature UAV platform. Designed for easy deployment by two operators in less than 30 minutes, the company estimated the range of the MTO-LP at several hundred kilometres, with a cruising speed of 120 km/h. Thales will provide the warhead payload, a company representative told Janes, with the Direction gĂ©nĂ©rale de l'armement (DGA) helping to develop the programme. The payload will be platform agnostic, according to the company. The MTO-LP would reach an initial operating capability (IOC) by 2026 with an annual production of 1,000 warheads.
In 2027 Thales said it would âincorporate counter-vulnerability functions, enhanced mission profiles, and a varied range of effectors for long-range military strikesâ. Initial flight tests are scheduled for the third quarter of 2025.
Go beyond the headlines - with direct links to interconnected entities
Get full access to validated equipment, military capabilities, and market insights.
