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Missile

France

MBDA

Mistral 3

A French man-portable and vehicle/naval-mounted infrared-homing short-range air-defense missile, with the Mistral 3 upgrade adding an improved imaging seeker for better counter-UAV and counter-countermeasure performance. It equips French forces and numerous export navies and armies in shoulder-fired, vehicle and shipborne launchers.

In service since 2019 · 30 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

km range

2.6

Mach

kg warhead

Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

French export-licensed

CIEEMG inter-ministerial approval; broadly export-oriented.

Channel: DGA / direct commercial

Fielded & proven

Widely fielded · 30 operators

In service since 2019. Status: active.

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.

Performance specifications
Max speed (Mach) Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.	2.6 Mach Stronger than 57% of missiles
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.	7 km Stronger than 12% of missiles

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Firepower specifications
Warhead Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.	3 kg Bottom 5% of missiles
Warhead type Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable.	Blast-fragmentation, laser proximity fuze
Guidance How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.	Imaging infrared homing

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Physical specifications
Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.	1.86 m
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.	20 kg

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Propulsion specifications
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…	Solid-fuel rocket

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Program specifications
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.	30 Top 9% of missiles

Specifications compiled from public MBDA and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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