France, Germany, and Spain have approved the preliminary design review (PDR) of MBDA’s Remote Carrier Compact demonstrator, the missile maker announced on October 6, 2026. MBDA said the three countries validated the review during summer 2026.
MBDA France and MBDA Germany carried out the work with Spanish partner SATNUS under the Next Generation Weapon System (NGWS), the core of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
According to MBDA, the review clears the way for the design, production, and first flight of the demonstrator in 2029. That target is unchanged from June 2023, when the company presented its concept, then called Expendable Remote Carrier, at the Paris Air Show.
Remote Carrier Compact moves toward 2029 first flight
To reach the milestone, MBDA said its teams completed the demonstrator’s design, produced several representative mock-ups, and developed a digital twin of the vehicle.
Ground testing included subsystem tests, integration and structural integrity mock-ups, and wind tunnel trials, while simulation work was used to validate the digital models and initial algorithms.
During the first half of 2026, the company presented the results at technical meetings in Spain, France, and Germany, gathering feedback from customer representatives that included pilots from the three countries’ air forces.
MBDA describes the Remote Carrier Compact as a collaborative combat drone intended for escort, reconnaissance, and strikes against high-value targets. Illustrations released with the announcement show the vehicle being launched from an Airbus A400M transport aircraft and a FREMM frigate.
NGWS framework nears its end
The milestone comes as the framework that funded the work draws to a close.
France and Germany abandoned the joint New Generation Fighter in June 2026 after a prolonged industrial dispute between Airbus and Dassault Aviation.
In an answer to a parliamentary question, summarized by the Bundestag on September 15, 2026, the German government said the NGWS program was expiring under its existing contracts and that an early conclusion of the fighter portion was under negotiation. Airbus states that the Phase 1B contracts conclude at the end of 2026.
MBDA acknowledged that the initial NGWS framework is ending but said it remains committed to the demonstrator’s operational future.
Lionel Mazenq, Vice President of MBDA’s programs incubator, said that MBDA “will carry on the Remote Carrier Compact development.”
MBDA’s announcement does not identify how the demonstrator’s production and flight-testing phase will be funded once the current NGWS framework ends.