MBDA-Numalis to Work on Artificial Intelligence Solutions for Missile Systems

MBDA’s plan to acquire a stake in France's Numalis company will help the former build Artificial Intelligence-based solutions for use in missile systems to detect, track, intercept and destroy aerial targets.

“Numalis will give us access to essential building blocks of the future validation – and ultimately certification – processes for the AI-based applications used in our missile systems,” said Éric Béranger, CEO of MBDA.

The company announced its plan to buy a stake in the French firm on Monday.

“Whilst AI holds a lot of promise, it remains a highly complex concept to validate and integrate into systems where error is not acceptable. Because it develops sovereign mission-critical products, MBDA has decided to invest in Numalis in order to benefit from its expertise and solutions,” MBDA said in a statement.

Numalis possesses the first IT solution for formally validating AI applications and works to promote global AI standardisation. Progress in the international standardisation is expected in 2020 as a result of the cooperation between the two companies.

The acquisition of Numalis could aid in bringing AI-based solutions to MBDA’s TWISTER.

The European Union (EU) greenlit MBDA’s TWISTER (Timely Warning and Interception with Space-based TheatER surveillance) project in November 2019. The company had stated that the TWISTER multi-role interceptor missile system “will address a wide range of threats including, manoeuvring ballistic missiles with intermediate ranges, hypersonic or high-supersonic cruise missiles, hypersonic gliders, and more conventional targets such as next-generation fighter aircraft.” The system is expected to be brought to service by 2030 and will be integrated on both land and naval systems.