MBDA Enforcer

The Enforcer from the European manufacturer MBDA Deutschland is a modern infantry weapon for use against lightly armoured and unarmoured vehicles and stationary targets at a distance over. It is a fire-and-forget weapon with a lock on before launch function and the possibility of night battle.
New variants of the missile are being developed as of 2024.

Origins

In 2010, MBDA launched a new serie of programmes named Concept Visions intending to develop a wide range of future missiles. The first programme of the Concept Visions was named Infantry Weapon System Concept, or CVS101, which became later on the Enforcer missile. This programme was first presented by MBDA in 2010 at the Farnborough International Airshow.
The intention with the IWSC was to develop the next-generation support weapons for dismounted soldiers. The main goal was to develop a light weapon able to precisely treat targets in complex and urban environments, with a high range while limiting the collateral damages. MBDA considered that the existing weapons were either too heavy, had too much power, or lacked precision and range. Two missiles were planned at that time, the Sniper and the Enforcer.

Infantry Weapon System Concept missiles

The specifications planned for with the Combat Vision programme are the following :

Developed missile

Only the Enforcer missile ended up being developed by MBDA Deutschland, and its specifications were adapted. From the Enforcer missile, other variants are being developed as of 2024.

Programme history

The development of the missile and the launcher was launched in July 2011, and was fully self-financed by the MBDA group. MBDA Deutschland was designated as the leader for the programme, and the MBDA France, MBDA UK and MBDA Italy participated in the development with their respective competences.
At the beginning of its development, the goals set for the missile were the following:

Precise, cost-effective and lightweight with a range of around
Usable, transportable and quick to deploy by a single dismounted soldier
Programmable warhead, making it effective against moving targets, static targets and targets behind cover
Capable to be fired from enclosed spaces, to fire-and-forget, and to be effective day and night in all weather conditions
Fire-control system compatible with one of the RGW 90 already used by the KSK

In order to reduce the risk and to provide a cost-effective solutions, known technologies and components were planned to be reused for the Enforcer missiles.

Technology demonstration phase

In 2012 and 2013, demonstrators were tested in cooperation with the in Meppen. MBDA took a cautious approach with a de-risking strategy by testing the parts at each step of their development to ensure that they were effective, and then combined those.
In 2012 and 2013, the first prototypes of the missile body were produced and six successful flight tests took place.

On 19 September 2012, the first test took place to verify the ballistic behaviour of the missile.
On 12 April 2013, a firing test was performed to test the servomotors and steering of the missile.
At the end of June 2013, a missile was fired to test its capacity to guide itself towards the target.
On 19 October 2013, another missile was fired to test its capacity to guide itself towards the target.
At the end of October 2013, a first missile was fired with a warhead.The warhead was developed by TDW, a subsidiary of MBDA Deutschland.
On 26 / 27 November 2013, a missile was fired with a warhead and reached its target, hitting it at few centimetres from the center.
Development and prototyping phase

Based on the success of the demonstration phase, MBDA launched the development of the prototype.
In December 2016, MBDA shared updates on the trial of the Enforcer, and they announced having hit accurately targets multiple times. The trials took place at the test center in November 2016. The static targets were aimed at from a distance ranging from.
In November 2017, MBDA announced having performed successful trials against moving targets.

New variants

Since 19, new variants of the missile have been offered to the market. The detail of the variants is mentioned at the following section.

Pilot production

In 2023, the MBDA Deutschland facility in Schrobenhausen launched the production of a pilot batch. From this batch trials of the missile took place, especially environmental testing to ensure that the missile in its production phase will be able to perform in the condition pre-defined. This includes testing at certain temperature ranges, varying levels of vibrations, humidity.
As part of that phase, the EMC Laboratory of MBDA Deutschland performs electromagnetic compatibility tests. The aim is to verify if the electronic components work properly. This preventive testing verifies the insensitivity to electromagnetic interference and the reliable operation in the electromagnetic environment.

Serial production

After the pilot batch, the assembly line was made ready. After assessment of the initial production, the German Armed Forces approved the launch of the large scale serial production at the end of 2023. The parts are being supplied by other MBDA subsidiaries around Europe.
In March 2024, the Enforcer Production Increase Campaign was put forward to the European Commission. The commission launched a funding support for the Act in Support of Ammunition Production programme. The aid for the Enforcer programme reaches €10 million, and will be supplied to MBDA Deutschland and two of its subsidiaries, Bayern-Chemie Deutschland, and TDW Deutschland.
Eventually, the goal is to reach a four-digit yearly production capacity.

Variants

Variants in production

Enforcer base variant

The base variant programme was launched in July 2011, the production started in 2023, and it is planned to enter service in the German Army in 2024. This missile is a shoulder launched anti-armour missile.
MBDA developed a launcher concept for the Enforcer missile. This launcher is designed to be mounted on light vehicles, likely for special forces missions. It is equipped with 2 missiles and passive sensors. The launcher concept was presented at Enforce TAC 2022, on an ENOK vehicle designed by ACS, based on the G464 G-Class.

Variants in development

MBDA Deutschland is developing several variants of the Enforcer designed for land, air, sea and anti-air applications, but those systems plan to adapt on the existing variants in order to limit the development cost and to reach a cost-effective family solution.

Enforcer Air

unveiled a concept of an air-launched variant of the Enforcer missile in November 2019 at the Berlin Security Conference. This would be used in a similar way as the MBDA Brimstone missile, but smaller and cheaper.
As of 2019, MBDA announced that MBDA was waiting for a launch customer to integrate the Enforcer Air missile to the intended platform. Depending on the platform, the launch system can be drop-launched, tube-launched and rail launched. The potential applications for this missile are:

A variant of its potential use on a UAV was presented by XMobots, a Brazilian UAS company at the LAAD exhibition in April 2023 in Rio de Janeiro. The drone shown with the missile is the Nauru 1000C.
As of November 2023, MBDA mentions having already performed flight trials of this variant.

Enforcer X

The Enforcer X is a dedicated anti-tank variant of the Enforcer platform. As of March 2023 at SOFINS 2023, MBDA announced that this variant is under development. It is designed to be a shoulder fired ATGM.
The warhead will be supplied by TDW. It will feature a tandem shaped charge designed to penetrate the tank armour behind explosive reactive armour. And it will have two attack modes, a direct attack capability, and top attack. The range is expected to remain at just like the base variants of the Enforcer.''''''

DefendAir

A short range anti-air variant of the Enforcer missile initially known as the SADM was renamed as DefendAir in June 2025. Its main design feature is to combat drones, but could also be used against light aerial targets. A first concept of what that system could be was presented at the ILA Berlin Air Show 2022. With this missiles, MBDA says that it plans to combat Class 1 UAS, UAV under.
The main differences to the base variant of the Enforcer are:

a special seeker head for air targets
a booster attached to the base Enforcer missile to extend its range

The proposed applications for the missile as of 2024 are:

MBDA Sky Warden NNbS:

In June 2022, at the ILA Berlin Air Show, MBDA presented the Sky Warden system concept. It is designed to combat UAV. The base vehicle is the ACS ENOK 9.5 APV based on the Unimog U1500 chassis. The vehicle is equipped with a turret which features 18 Enforcer SADM missiles and a general purpose machine gun as well as passive and active sensors to detect the threat.

Skyranger 30:

In June 2024, at the ILA Berlin Air Show, Rheinmetall Air Defence and MBDA signed a letter of intent to integrate the SADM to the Skyranger 30 SPAAG. The Skyranger 30 is equipped with a Oerlikon KCA autocanon firing a 30 × 173 mm variant of the AHEAD ammunition. It can be topped with a SHORAD missile system and a laser anti-drone system. For the missile system, several options have been mentioned, and one of them is the SADM. In this variant, a launcher in a 3×3 configuration was developed and is being offered to the clients of the system. According to MBDA and Rheinmetall, additional layers of 3 could be added to the launcher if needed. With the SADM on the Skyranger 30, the desire of the German Army is to use the missile beyond the range of the canon at, and up to.
The SADM was selected by the German Army in May 2025.
The budget for the development and the production of the first DefendAir missiles was approved in November 2025.