European strategic autonomy, Milrem Robotics has announced the successful integration and live-fire testing of MBDA’s Akeron LP long-range guided missile aboard its Type-X Robotic Combat Vehicle. The test, conducted under the Modular Architecture Solution for EU States (MARSEUS) framework and supported by the European Defence Fund (EDF), represents a pivotal milestone in Europe’s quest to build an indigenous, interoperable Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) strike capability, untethered from non-EU constraints.
This integration test, carried out in late June and publicly disclosed on July 1, 2025, showcased the full scope of the MARSEUS program’s vision: combining advanced missile systems, robotic platforms, and electromagnetic situational awareness tools into a cohesive, European-controlled battlefield architecture.
At the heart of this demonstration was the synergy between three core systems: Milrem’s Type-X unmanned ground vehicle, MBDA’s fifth-generation Akeron LP missile, and SignalGeneriX’s RFHunter Direction Finder. Together, they represent the culmination of years of cooperative defense development under the EU umbrella—aimed not only at operational effectiveness but also sovereignty, flexibility, and future readiness.
The MARSEUS project, initiated in December 2022 with a projected conclusion in November 2025, represents one of the European Union’s most ambitious defense collaboration programs. Funded with €25 million from the EDF (out of a total project cost of €27.3 million), MARSEUS builds on the earlier LynkEUs initiative under the EDIDP (European Defence Industrial Development Programme). While LynkEUs proved the core technical feasibility of BLOS systems using turret-mounted munitions and UAV-target designation, MARSEUS aims to deliver a fully integrated, standardized modular framework.
The program is coordinated by MBDA France and comprises 15 industry and institutional partners from France, Belgium, Sweden, and Cyprus. These include notable defense innovators such as Arquus, FN Herstal, John Cockerill Defense, Novadem, BAE Systems Hägglunds, SAAB Dynamics, Bull SAS, Xenics NV, and SignalGeneriX. Academic and technical research support is provided by the Royal Military Academy of Belgium and Cypriot defense think tanks like Additess and Delair.
The MARSEUS program is designed to deliver a pan-European BLOS ecosystem that is interoperable across manned and unmanned platforms, scalable to mission-specific requirements, and adaptable to future threats. It focuses on studies, prototyping, and testing of modular system architectures—including human-in-the-loop and human-on-the-loop controls—laying the groundwork for a unified doctrine and set of technical specifications for EU ground-based precision strike systems.
The recent demonstration featured a fully autonomous Type-X Robotic Combat Vehicle navigating and targeting within a simulated combat scenario. Crucially, the platform engaged targets beyond visual range using third-party sensor input, integrating command data with electromagnetic situational awareness enabled by SignalGeneriX’s RFHunter.
This was no ordinary test.
The vehicle operated in a passive mode, avoiding emissions that could reveal its location while detecting hostile radio frequency (RF) signals, allowing it to maneuver and target in contested or GPS-denied environments. The RFHunter system played a central role, acting as the eyes and ears of the unmanned platform in the electromagnetic spectrum. According to Dr. Tasos Kounoudes, founder of SignalGeneriX, this capability enables “invisible targeting,” allowing platforms to detect threats without emitting signals of their own.
Simultaneously, the Akeron LP missile was launched from the integrated IMPACT turret atop the Type-X, achieving successful BLOS engagement using a lofted trajectory and mid-course correction via encrypted RF datalink. In the background, a Novadem NX70 drone supplied real-time visual and infrared reconnaissance, aiding in target confirmation.
MBDA confirmed that the missile was tested in lock-on-after-launch (LOAL) mode, a scenario where the missile is fired before it has a fixed target, acquiring it mid-flight using inputs from either ground-based platforms or UAVs. This flexibility is key for dynamic battlefield conditions and adds survivability for the launching platform.
Developed by Estonia-based Milrem Robotics, the Type-X is a new generation of unmanned combat vehicles designed to act as force multipliers in mechanized formations. With a weight of 12.5 tons and a payload capacity of 5 tons, it can be equipped with a variety of mission kits—from anti-tank missiles to loitering munitions and reconnaissance sensors.
The platform is hybrid-electric, granting it low acoustic and thermal signatures—advantages in stealth and endurance. It can navigate rough terrain, cross 60% inclines, and ford through water up to 1.5 meters deep. With a turning radius of zero, it excels in maneuvering tight spaces, making it suitable for both open field and urban operations.
Designed with STANAG 4569 Level 4 ballistic protection, the Type-X is built to accompany manned IFVs and tanks or operate independently as a sensor-shooter node in a networked battlespace.
MBDA’s Akeron LP is one of Europe’s most advanced guided missile systems. It boasts a tandem-charge multipurpose warhead, capable of penetrating over 1,000 mm of RHA (Rolled Homogeneous Armor) and more than 2 meters of reinforced concrete. With a multimode seeker (TV, laser, and IR), the missile adapts to varying operational conditions and target types.
One of the key differentiators of the Akeron LP is its guidance architecture. It supports LOBL, LOAL, fire-and-forget, and fire-with-redirection modes. Through its RF datalink, the operator retains full control and oversight throughout the missile’s flight, including mission abort or target change options—essential for BLOS precision warfare in populated or rapidly shifting environments.
Its integration with standard interfaces like MIL-STD-1760 ensures plug-and-play compatibility with a broad range of NATO and EU platforms—an essential feature for interoperability across EU states.
With tensions rising in Eastern Europe and global supply chains increasingly fragmented, the MARSEUS demonstration carries implications beyond just technical achievement.
Firstly, it confirms the EU’s ability to develop and field indigenous precision strike capabilities independent of U.S. or other non-European defense ecosystems. This directly contributes to the goals of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) initiative, which prioritizes European defense sovereignty.
Secondly, it sets a precedent for EU-wide modularity and standardization. The MARSEUS architecture ensures that future BLOS-capable systems—whether deployed by Sweden or Cyprus—can share data, coordinate targeting, and operate seamlessly under a unified doctrine. The program’s “users’ club,” being formed alongside final integration trials, will guide the operational deployment and further refinement of shared protocols.
Thirdly, the use of unmanned systems for BLOS roles underlines the EU’s pivot toward future warfare concepts: distributed lethality, manned-unmanned teaming, and AI-supported targeting—all without violating ethical controls. By embedding both human-in-the-loop and human-on-the-loop configurations into the architecture, MARSEUS answers growing calls for accountable autonomy in lethal systems.
Despite the demonstration’s success, challenges remain.
Firstly, full deployment across EU militaries will require extensive testing, procurement harmonization, and alignment of national defense doctrines—tasks often slowed by bureaucratic inertia.
Secondly, integrating AI and sensor fusion technologies into BLOS systems raises both ethical and technical questions, particularly around rules of engagement, target discrimination, and civilian risk mitigation.
Lastly, as BLOS systems mature, adversaries are also developing countermeasures—including RF jamming, decoys, and counter-UAV techniques. Ensuring the resilience of systems like Type-X and Akeron in contested environments will require continuous updates to software and counter-countermeasure tactics.
As the MARSEUS program heads into its final 18 months, the European defense community will be closely watching how these integrated systems perform in upcoming field trials—particularly those involving larger formations and multi-platform coordination.
Live-fire events scheduled through 2025 will include night operations, complex terrain maneuvers, and full digital integration with command-and-control networks. With continued support from the European Defence Agency and national ministries, MARSEUS could soon transition from prototype to procurement phase, potentially forming the backbone of future EU BLOS combat forces.
For Milrem, MBDA, and SignalGeneriX, the successful test is both a validation and a new beginning—proof that Europe can field its own precision strike tools while shaping the ethical and technical frontier of next-generation warfare.
The July 2025 MARSEUS demonstration marks a turning point for EU defense cooperation. By fielding a fully integrated, unmanned BLOS strike platform with advanced electromagnetic sensing and sovereign control, Europe is not just catching up with global military innovation—it is setting new benchmarks for what accountable, interoperable, and future-ready warfare should look like.
