According to a French Ministry of the Armed Forces press release, the dialogue phase that will now take place between the three countries will lay the foundations for the development phase to come. “The objective for each of the three countries is to have an operational deep strike capability by 2030. This new phase of the FC/ASW program will strengthen the industrial and technological base of European defense around MBDA, the European leader in the field of missiles” – The press release reads.

The objective of the FC/ASW Programme is to replace from 2028, the capabilities currently in service within the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force (RAF), Marine Nationale (French Navy), and Armée de l’air et de l’espace (French Air Force) for anti-ship and deep strike missions.
The concept phase, amounting to around 100 million euros, is financed equally by France and the United Kingdom; it is also shared equally in workload between MBDA France and MBDA UK.
FC/ASW schedule
- 2017: Launch of the conceptual studies
- 2022: Launch of the evaluation phase, which focuses on the rise in maturity of the two selected concepts (stealthy and subsonic or supersonic)
- 2023: Italy joins the program
- 2024: Launch of the program
- 2028: Planned in-service date for the anti-ship variant
- 2030: Planned in-service date for the land-attack variant
The case for Italy joining FC/ASW
Joining the FC/ASW program makes sense for Italy and should not come as a surprise: the Italian Air Force will have to replace in the future its in-service Storm Shadow land attack cruise missiles (which are currently, as for France and the UK, under a midlife upgrade programme) while the Chief of Italian Navy (Marina Militare) in 2020, Vice Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone (now Admiral and Chief of the Defense Staff since October 2021) highlighted the need for a credible deep strike capability to be provided for the future destroyer project (the over 10,000 tons class DDX) as all as for the future submarines (Type 212NFS).
Italy could bring some know-how and technology to the French and British partners: As part of the Teseo Mk2/E program, MBDA Italy is currently developing a very advanced dual-mode homing head section which will feature both a new generation coherent Radio-Frequency (RF) seeker with ECCM capability and a Electro-Optic (EO) sensor. According to Italian journalist (and Naval News regular contributor) Luca Peruzzi, the RF seeker co-developed by MBDA together with Leonardo, will feature AESA (active electronically scanned array) technology provided by the latter company. During the Seafuture 2023 conference and exhibition, MBDA and the Italian Navy gave an update on the Teseo Mk2/E programme, pointing out the RF seeker development is on schedule alongside the overall weapon system.
About FC/ASW
Following the Lancaster House agreement of 2010, France and the United Kingdom launched in 2017 a joint program with the goal to replace their cruise and anti-ship missiles circa 2030.
Named FC/ASW for Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (or FMAN/FMC for futur missile anti-navire/futur missile de croisière in French), the program is led by European missile leader MBDA. The FC/ASW aims to replace the air launched Scalp/Storm Shadow as well as the air and ship launched Exocet and Harpoon anti-ship missiles currently in service with French and British air forces and navies.
The FC/ASW seeks to develop a new generation of deep strike and anti-ship missiles by 2030. It aims at replacing the capabilities provided by Storm Shadow/ SCALP air launched cruise missile in operational service in the UK and France as well as the Exocet anti-ship missile in France and the Harpoon anti-ship missile in the UK.
MBDA announced the successful achievement of the FC/ASW (Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon) “Key Review” phase, jointly conducted with the British Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) and the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) in 2019. In a written parliamentary question Jeremy Quin, British Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence revealed that the FC/ASW will equip both navies, Royal Navy and French Navy (Marine Nationale) starting 2028.
In the meantime, the UK selected Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile as an interim solution in November 2022. Eleven Type 23 frigates and Type 45 destroyers will be fitted with the sea-skimming Naval Strike Missile, capable of knocking out major enemy warships at ranges of more than 100 miles away. The Naval Strike Missile will plug the gap between Harpoon and the advent of its permanent successor, the FC/ASW.