French DGA Test-fires Latest Version of Exocet Anti-ship Missile

The French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and the Navy carried out of a test- firing to verify the behavior of the Exocet sea-to-sea missile 40 Block 3C (MM40 B3 C) from the multi-mission frigate, FREMM DA, 'Alsace.'

The test was conducted off the coast of Toulon. The Exocet MM40 Block 3C is the latest version of the successful MBDA-made missile and has several enhancements compared to previous versions such as the Block 1,2 and 3.

The missile perfectly followed the planned trajectory, and demonstrated the performance of its latest generation seeker via a final sequence representative of an electronic warfare scenario.

The Exocet MM40 B3C missile is the latest addition to a family of “high subsonic” speed class anti-ship missiles with a range of 200km+, which can be deployed from a large number of platforms (naval, air or land).

The MM40 Block 3C version constitutes a major challenge for the French Navy with regard to the new types of countermeasures which are proliferating.

The Exocet MM40 Block 3C will equip FREMMs, defense and intervention frigates (FDI) and other first-rate frigates.

The evolution of the missile under the different versions called blocks 1, 2, 3 and 3c has resulted in an increase in range, precision and resistance to increasingly effective countermeasures of anti-missile defense systems.