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France In development MBDA
Crossbow
MBDA's 'One Way Effector Heavy', a deep-strike one-way attack drone built from modular military- and commercial-off-the-shelf subsystems for affordable, fast-to-produce mass strike capability against static and high-value targets. Unveiled at DSEI 2025 as an extended-range, heavier-warhead member of the Deluge/One Way Effector family, launchable from any 20-foot ISO-compliant container on land or naval platforms.
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-08-02
800
km range
300
kg payload
Pricing: No public unit cost. Unveiled DSEI 2025, developed from paper design to demonstration-ready in 7 months; a live-fire test was targeted for Q4 2025 pending customer support. In development, designed around MOTS/COTS subsystems for low-cost mass production. No production order disclosed yet.
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
French export-licensed
CIEEMG inter-ministerial approval; broadly export-oriented.
Channel: DGA / direct commercial
Development status
Operator data not public
Status: announced.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
| Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence. | 800 km |
|---|
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Weapons payload Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie. | 300 kg |
|---|---|
| Warhead type Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable. | Kinetic and non-kinetic modular payload |
| Guidance How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire. | GNSS, AI image-based navigation, Inertial navigation, Terminal sensor |
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 5.3 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span. | 3 m |
| Width Overall width, matters for rail/road transport of vehicles. | 0.35 m |
| Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor. | 750 kg |
| Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity. | 0 |
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
| Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet… | Turbojet |
|---|
Specifications compiled from public MBDA and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-08-02.
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What is the range of the MBDA Crossbow? +
The MBDA Crossbow has a maximum range of 800 km.
What is the weapons payload of the MBDA Crossbow? +
The MBDA Crossbow can carry up to 300 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the MBDA Crossbow weigh? +
The MBDA Crossbow has a combat weight of 750 kg.
How many crew does the MBDA Crossbow require? +
The MBDA Crossbow requires a crew of 0.
What is the MBDA Crossbow used for? +
The MBDA Crossbow is a uav / drone typically used for deep strike.
How much does the MBDA Crossbow cost? +
MBDA Crossbow: No public unit cost. Unveiled DSEI 2025, developed from paper design to demonstration-ready in 7 months; a live-fire test was targeted for Q4 2025 pending customer support. In development, designed around MOTS/COTS subsystems for low-cost mass production. No production order disclosed yet.. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
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