France has exercised a contract option with KNDS France to procure additional MX-10 Damocles loitering munitions for its armed forces. The Directorate General of Armaments initiated the follow-on order to expand production and supply additional attack drones to the French Army and Navy. Details regarding the order’s value, quantity and delivery schedule have not been disclosed. The procurement follows an initial contract awarded in July 2024 under a French military initiative for short-range remotely operated munitions. According to the supplied report, 460 systems were expected by July 2026, with initial deliveries having begun in December of the following year to the Joint Munitions Service. The MX-10 Damocles is part of KNDS’s Mataris family of unmanned aerial systems. Its airframe is assembled in cooperation with Toulouse-based drone manufacturer Delair, following initial French government funding through a 2022 innovation programme. The quadcopter is designed to carry a 550-gram explosive incendiary fragmentation warhead and transmit live video until impact. It can reportedly be deployed in under five minutes, has an electric propulsion system, a range of up to 10 kilometres and a maximum endurance of 40 minutes.
