European defence groups unveil plan for homegrown missile shield interceptor

By Maria Rugamer

July 14 (Reuters) - European missile makers and defence groups launched a new consortium on Tuesday to develop what they said would be the continent's first interceptor capable of destroying medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in space.

Thales, Airbus, MBDA Deutschland, Safran and aerospace startup Destinus signed a letter of intent in Paris to establish the Bliksem EXO Consortium, aiming to develop the sovereign exo-atmospheric interceptor. 

Europe is pushing to plug critical gaps in air and missile defence following Russia's invasion of Ukraine amid growing concerns over ballistic missile threats.

The announcement follows Monday's launch in Paris of the Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition, in which European leaders pledged to jointly develop a lower-cost alternative to the U.S.-made Patriot air defence system as Ukraine struggles to counter intensified Russian ballistic missile attacks.

While shorter-range ballistic missiles typically follow trajectories that remain within the atmosphere or only briefly pass into near-space, those with longer ranges spend much of their midcourse flight outside the atmosphere.

Under the letter of intent, the companies plan to sign a binding consortium agreement within three months, begin joint engineering work in August and carry out a test of the exo-atmospheric kill vehicle in space in 2027.

The agreement itself does not commit the parties to fund or procure the system, the companies said in a joint statement.

(Reporting by Maria Rugamer; Editing by Joe Bavier, Kirsten Donovan)