MdCN

Studies for the development of a ship-launched version of the SCALP air-launched cruise missile were begun by MBDA's French division in 2002, following a failed attempt by France to acquire the Tomahawk cruise missile from the United States. In 2006, It became operational on the anti-submarine/land-attack ships of the French Aquitaine-class (the French variant of the FREMM multipurpose frigate) from 2017 onwards and on FS Suffren (the first of the Barracuda-class submarines) in June 2022, using the A70 version of the Sylver launcher on the former and the 533 mm torpedo tubes on the latter. As it is not launched from a plane like the SCALP, the MdCN uses a booster during its launch phase to break out of the ship and gain some initial velocity. In addition to its longer range, the MdCN also distinguishes itself by its autonomous navigation performance and terminal guidance by infrared recognition. A further 100 surface-launched missiles were ordered in 2009, along with 50 for the planned Barracuda-class submarines. During its third development firing, the MdCN perfectly met all its test requirements, including the validation of its autonomous navigation performance and terminal guidance by infrared recognition, which provide the weapon with its exceptionally high precision. == Operational history ==

The MdCN was used in its first operational strike during the April 2018 missile strikes against Syria against the Syrian chemical weapons production site, in coordination with the United States and the United Kingdom. In addition to ten SCALP cruise missiles fired from five Dassault Rafale aircraft (along with others from RAF Tornados), the FREMM frigates , , and launched three MdCN missiles. Although all the designated targets were reached during the mission, some missiles suffered considerable technical difficulties. In the navy's report, it was stated that nine SCALP missiles were successfully fired, but the last one failed an internal self-check and refused to take off from the rail, and was therefore abandoned at sea. Meanwhile, two frigates suffered from computer issues and were unable to launch their MdCNs; only the third frigate was able to do so. The problems encountered with the frigates suggest that the MdCN had issues integrating with the warships, most likely due to the new nature of the FREMMs, rather than with the missile itself. Some FREMMs deployed during the operation were not fully operationally ready, having been withdrawn from exercises only a few days prior. On 20 October 2020, it was reported that the first of the new Barracuda-class submarines to be commissioned, Suffren, had performed its first firing of the MdCN. The firing from the new submarine was highly awaited because of the technical issues encountered during the missile's first operational use in 2018, which had led to deeper scrutiny. On 19 September 2024, during the event of launching ceremony for the frigate Kimon-class frigate Nearchos, the Greek Defense Minister announced that Greece is starting procedures to acquire a fourth frigate of the same type. He also revealed that Greece will proceed with the order of strategic MdCN missiles installed on the new ships. ==See also==