European firms target 2027 test for sovereign space interceptor

Five European defense companies have signed a letter of intent in Paris to develop a homegrown exo-atmospheric interceptor, with a test of the kill vehicle planned in space for 2027. The consortium, named Bliksem EXO, is led by Dutch startup Destinus and includes established aerospace primes MBDA, Safran, Airbus and Thales. The companies expect to finalize a binding agreement within three months and begin joint engineering work in August.

The initiative is a direct response to Russia increasing its production of ballistic missiles. Europe currently lacks a sovereign system to intercept medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles before their re-entry vehicles hit the atmosphere. The continent instead depends on two United States-operated Aegis Ashore sites using SM-3 interceptors, while Germany is procuring Israel’s Arrow-3 system.

“Europe has strong lower-layer missile defenses, but it still lacks a sovereign European upper layer against medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles,” Destinus CEO Mikhail Kokorich said. “Bliksem EXO is designed to close that gap through direct hit-to-kill interception above the atmosphere.”

The system is designed to defeat advanced threats like Russia’s Oreshnik intermediate-range missile, which features separating and maneuvering re-entry vehicles. Rather than using an explosive warhead, the interceptor will use kinetic hit-to-kill technology to destroy targets in space. System design will incorporate lessons learned from Ukraine's experience defending against massed missile and air attacks.

The project distributes significant industrial work across the continent's defense base. Destinus will handle system integration and build the exo-atmospheric kill vehicle, drawing on its current development of unmanned systems like the Ruta Block 2 cruise missile and turbojet engines. MBDA Deutschland will supply the booster, launcher and canister, while Safran Electronics & Defense provides the seeker and guidance systems.

Thales is responsible for the radar and sensor chain, and Airbus Defence and Space will manage command-and-control and battle management. The letter of intent was signed at the inaugural meeting of a new anti-ballistic coalition, with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten in attendance.

For European defense contractors, Bliksem EXO represents a strategic push to capture procurement spending that might otherwise flow to American or Israeli firms. The new interceptor will complement existing lower-layer defenses rather than compete with them. By ensuring full interoperability with NATO’s integrated air and missile defense systems, the consortium aims to secure a place in the European Sky Shield Initiative.

Germany had previously proposed the Arrow-3 system as the exo-atmospheric component of that initiative. Bliksem EXO is now positioning itself as a sovereign alternative, aiming to supply the currently missing upper layer of Europe's layered missile defense architecture.