France tests new man-portable missile

PARIS, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- MBDA's Missile de Moyenne Portée, or Medium Range Missile, has been test fired for the first time by France's military procurement agency.

Direction Generale de l'Armement said the firing was performed at its site in central France and the weapon successfully demonstrated its targeting capabilities by striking its beyond-line-of-sight target at a distance of more than 4,000 yards.

"This success is the result of the coordinated efforts of both state and industrial participants," DGA said. "It (the missile) will enable the armed forces to neutralize, with a high level of precision, the many different types of target that might be confronted during operations, ensuring that collateral damage is kept to a minimum and at the same time maximizing the safety of the operator." The MMP is a man-portable anti-armor system that can be fired by a two-man crew or from a vehicle. It is to replace the French Army's Milan missile system beginning in 2017.

Missile-maker MBDA France received a French government contract to develop the missile in 2013.