MBDA partners with GA-ASI and Japanese firms to equip next‑gen combat drones and aircraft

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA‑ASI) and European missile maker MBDA signed a memorandum of understanding at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 to integrate MBDA’s SPEAR precision‑strike missile onto GA‑ASI’s MQ‑9B unmanned aircraft and the Gambit 6 collaborative combat aircraft. The agreement is intended to give global militaries a rapid, field‑ready capability that combines long‑range, low‑collateral‑damage weapons with high‑endurance drones.

Separately, a consortium called Sovereign Effects Partners – comprising MBDA UK, MBDA Italia, Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries – also signed a collaboration at the same airshow. The group will work together on effects‑optimisation technologies and digital integration for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), aiming to enhance next‑generation air‑combat readiness while preserving the sovereign capabilities of the participating nations.