The BEAST project (Boosting European Advanced Missile System Technology), funded by the European Defence Fund (EDF) and coordinated by Diehl Defence, held its Kick-Off Meeting in Brussels on 25 November 2025.
BEAST brings together a consortium of 21 partners from 12 European countries, representing a strong European collaboration and covering the full spectrum of missile relevant fields of expertise. The project supports the joint European development and future procurement of a modular short-range missile.
BEAST will begin by analysing the future air combat environment and defining key operational requirements in close coordination with European Member States. It will then advance and mature critical technologies to enable enhanced performance and new capabilities, ultimately developing and assessing modular missile concepts to establish a clear roadmap for a modular future short-range missile programme.
Within this project, SMS leads the Future Battlefield Scenario Simulation activities, contributes to operational concept analysis and supports platform integration studies.
The Kick-Off underlined the strategic importance of BEAST in supporting European technological sovereignty and preparing next-generation defence solutions.
