Thales Conducts X-Fire Test Firings

X-Fire Launcher | Photo: Thales

Thales has completed the first live firings of its X-Fire land-based launcher system as part of efforts linked to France’s future long-range strike requirements and the planned replacement of the current Unitary Rocket Launcher (LRU) system.

The company said the firings took place on May 20, 2026, and were intended to demonstrate the maturity of the launcher platform. X-Fire is being developed by Thales in partnership with Soframe and is designed to support long-range strike missions at distances of 150 kilometres and beyond.

According to Thales, the launcher has been designed to operate with different types of munitions, including both French-developed and allied systems. The company says this approach is intended to provide continuity as the current LRU system nears the end of its operational life while France develops domestic long-range capabilities.

Earlier this month, on May 5, Thales and ArianeGroup also carried out demonstration firings of the FLP-T 150 long-range ballistic munition. The munition is expected to become available before the end of the decade.

The X-Fire system is mounted on an 8×8 mobile platform intended to be compatible with French Army logistics systems. Thales also said the platform incorporates navigation systems intended to maintain positioning and targeting functions in contested electromagnetic environments. These include the TopStar Smart Receiver GNSS anti-jamming system and the TopAxyz inertial measurement unit.

The May 20 firing activity also involved the use of Thales’ 68mm X-Fum training rocket. The company said the rocket is intended to help military users transition to the system and support training activities.

Julien Assoun, Vice-President Vehicles and Tactical Systems, Thales, said, “The versatility of the X-Fire allows us to reconcile, for the benefit of the armed forces, the need for a sovereign ballistic munition (FLP-t 150) by the end of the decade with the requirement capacity continuity as current Unitary Rocket Launcher systems reach the end of life. This successful firing demonstrates the system’s performance, and we are already preparing for the ramp-up of production.”