Mistral 3

Development and production

Mistral 3 is the latest version of Mistral, the French very short range air defence (VSHORAD) guided missile made by MBDA. Work on the family began in 1974 under France’s SATCP man-portable surface-to-air missile programme; Matra became prime contractor in 1980 and series production started in 1989 (according to Army Technology). Matra later became part of MBDA.

Sources differ on when Mistral 3 began. Army Recognition gives first deliveries in 2014 and The Defense Post an introduction in 2013, while an MBDA release of March 2022 says the missile was launched in 2019 with enhanced functions. In November 2019 MBDA stated that Mistral 3 was already in service with the French armed forces.

At the end of 2023 France’s defence procurement agency (DGA) ordered 329 Mistral 3 missiles (according to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces). According to MBDA’s chief executive Éric Béranger, the company quadrupled monthly Mistral output as early as 2024, a year ahead of plan (Defense News, March 2025). According to The Defense Post in November 2025, the rate reached 40 missiles a month.

According to MBDA, as reported by Naval News, Mistral 3 shot down a Shahed-type drone in trials in July 2024, and on 17 June 2025 the upgraded version passed its final qualification test in Spain, confirming that it can destroy fast inshore attack craft (FIAC), including at night.

Design

Mistral 3 is a fire-and-forget missile with passive infrared homing. According to MBDA, it is the first VSHORAD missile with an infrared matrix (imaging) seeker; the manufacturer claims it is immune to all known infrared countermeasures and that its accuracy does not depend on the operator’s skill.

According to the manufacturer, the missile is 1.88 m long including the launch motor, about 92 mm in diameter and weighs less than 20 kg. It is powered by a two-stage solid-propellant rocket motor, and the 3 kg warhead has a laser proximity and impact fuze.

MBDA gives a speed of 930 m/s, an interception range of 500 to 8,000 m and an altitude of up to 6,000 m; the missile manoeuvres at up to 30 g and can hit targets manoeuvring at up to 9 g. Other sources give lower figures: Army Technology up to 7.5 km and 3,000 m, and the Serbian Ministry of Defence an effective range of up to 7.5 km. MBDA also states a single-shot kill probability above 96% „on operations“, a manufacturer’s claim that has not been independently verified.

Variants and launchers

• Mistral 1 – the first version; series production from 1989.
• Mistral 2 – introduced in the late 1990s, with a range of up to 6 km (according to Army Technology).
• Mistral 3 – with an imaging infrared seeker, higher speed and longer range; the upgraded version qualified in 2025 is also aimed at drones and uncrewed surface vessels.

The missile is fired from several types of launcher (according to Army Technology and MBDA):

• Man-portable (MANPADS) – a tripod launcher operated by a crew of two.
• ATLAS and ATLAS RC – a twin launcher on the ground or a vehicle; the remotely operated ATLAS RC carries up to four missiles.
• ALBI – a twin launcher in a retractable vehicle turret, introduced in 2000.
• SIMBAD-RC – a remotely operated very short range naval system.
• Sadral – an automated naval mount for six missiles.
• ATAM – the air-to-air helicopter version with two launchers of two missiles each. In March 2022 OCCAR contracted MBDA and Airbus Helicopters to integrate Mistral 3 on the Franco-Spanish Tiger MkIII, and in July 2026 MBDA reported its integration on the French Tigre Mk2.
• Fire control – the MCP coordination post and the LICORNE command system; Mistral 3 is also the first layer of MBDA’s SKY WARDEN counter-drone system.

Combat use

MBDA describes Mistral 3 as „combat-proven“ without naming specific conflicts.

Ukraine uses Mistral missiles, but sources do not specify the version. In April 2022 Norway handed over about 100 Mistral missiles from its navy’s stocks together with man-portable launchers (The War Zone). On 6 July 2024 the Estonian Ministry of Defence confirmed that the Mistral systems and missiles it had provided had been delivered to Ukraine, and in November 2024 French minister Sébastien Lecornu announced further Mistral deliveries. According to the Ukrainian military outlet ArmyInform, the 39th Separate Coastal Defence Brigade destroyed three Shahed drones with Mistral in a single shift (October 2025), and the 138th Radio-Technical Brigade shot down three aerial targets in one day (February 2026) – claims by the Ukrainian side that have not been independently confirmed.

Operators and exports

According to Army Technology, the Mistral family is in service with more than 40 armed forces, and with its 2019 order Serbia became the 32nd customer country (according to MBDA). Mistral 3 is in service in France.

On 19 June 2023 France, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia and Hungary signed a letter of intent for a joint purchase of Mistral 3, followed on 19 June 2024, at the Eurosatory exhibition, by a framework arrangement under which the DGA buys the missiles from MBDA for all participants. On 14 November 2024 the European Commission selected the project for funding under the EDIRPA programme; besides France it covers Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, Spain, Slovenia and Denmark, with a total volume of 1,500 Mistral 3 missiles (according to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces). Bulgaria is not among the participants.

• Romania – on 25 November 2025 the Ministry of National Defence signed a EUR 625.591 million contract (excluding VAT) for 231 man-portable systems and 934 missiles, training, a simulator and logistic support under the joint European initiative.
• Spain – in November 2023 signed a EUR 325 million contract with MBDA España for 522 Mistral 3 missiles.
• Denmark – on 1 April 2025 signed a framework agreement for the supply of 250 to 1,000 Mistral 3 missiles for the army’s future very short range air defence; according to the French minister, Denmark formalised the purchase of 250 missiles.
• Estonia – in July 2025 a EUR 200 million contract with MBDA for Mistral 3 was published.
• Belgium – an order worth EUR 226.7 million with deliveries over the next six years, with the DGA as contracting authority (The Defense Post, March 2026).
• Hungary – takes part in the joint purchase; according to the Hungarian Ministry of Defence it covers only missiles for existing launchers. The country has operated ATLAS launchers with Mistral 2 since the late 1990s.
• Cyprus – ordered Mistral 3 alongside Exocet missiles in a deal worth about EUR 240 million (ProtoThema).
• Slovenia – on 12 July 2024 signed a letter of intent with France on a possible purchase of Mistral.
• Croatia – on 9 December 2022 signed a contract with MBDA France worth EUR 53.85 million (EUR 71.96 million including VAT); according to the magazine Hrvatski vojnik, the first systems have reached the army’s air defence regiment.
• Serbia – the contract signed on 16 July 2019 covers missiles, man-portable launchers and integration of the missile on the PASARS system; in December 2021 the Serbian Ministry of Defence announced that the army would receive 12 PASARS systems with Mistral 3 in 2022.
• Philippines – in October 2021 the navy received its first Mistral 3 missiles for its two Jose Rizal-class frigates; in April 2025 BRP Jose Rizal fired two missiles which, according to the navy, destroyed two uncrewed targets.
• Morocco – according to reports from 2020, ordered VL MICA and Mistral 3 missiles worth about EUR 30 million in total.