Thales has updated a guided rocket for the drone threat
Thales has formally launched a new version of its 70 mm laser-guided rocket, the LGR275 Proxy, adding a LiDAR proximity sensor intended specifically for counter-drone missions. The system was unveiled publicly at the Eurosatory exhibition in Paris, though company officials said the sensor had been developed in response to lessons from ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
The change reflects a broader pattern in modern air defense: weapons originally designed around more traditional targets are being adapted for the harder problem of dealing with small, fast, and numerous unmanned aerial systems. In that environment, proximity sensing can be as important as direct hit accuracy.
What changed in the rocket
The updated rocket still uses laser designation for guidance, as earlier versions did. What is new is the sensor placed behind the guidance kit. According to Thales officials, the LiDAR unit activates as the rocket gets close to the target and uses laser pulses to measure distance.
That matters because hitting drones cleanly can be difficult, especially in conditions where a near-target effect may be more practical than relying solely on exact impact. The addition effectively gives the system a dedicated counter-UAS adaptation rather than leaving it as a general-purpose guided rocket.
Why Thales says the upgrade was accelerated
Company officials told Breaking Defense that the feature was developed quickly because the requirement was not even on the table two years ago. Alain Quevrin, Thales Belgium and Luxembourg country director, said the company identified weaknesses in current use and accelerated development accordingly.
He also pointed to weather-related limitations of laser designation, including rain, while describing the new sensor as part of a maturing technological evolution. The implication is not that the rocket abandons its existing guidance method, but that Thales is trying to make the system more usable in the real conditions operators now face.
Part of a layered defense approach
The LGR275 Proxy is intended to sit inside a broader Thales layered air defense offering called SkyDefender. That placement is important. Counter-drone defense increasingly depends on mixing sensors and interceptors across ranges, costs, and target types rather than relying on a single weapon.
A 70 mm guided rocket occupies a specific niche in that architecture: it offers a comparatively compact, purpose-adapted option that may be attractive where cost, response speed, and stock availability matter. Thales is clearly positioning the upgraded rocket as a practical answer to urgent demand rather than a long-horizon concept.
Production is also being scaled up
The company is not only changing the design. It is also trying to expand output. Thales Belgium officials said they expect to produce 20,000 guided rockets annually by 2028, roughly averaging 100 per day. Executives linked the increase to current conflict dynamics, especially in the Middle East, and said production planning had more than doubled compared with figures discussed only months earlier.
That manufacturing push is revealing in its own right. It shows how quickly defense companies are being asked to move from limited-batch production toward readiness for sustained, high-volume demand. Thomas Colinet, managing director at Thales Belgium, said the company is preparing to support the Middle East with mass-produced, cost-effective solutions and is moving into a “make to stock” posture so inventory is ready when orders arrive.
Why the announcement matters
The new rocket is important not because it introduces an entirely new class of weapon, but because it shows how established munitions are being reshaped by the drone era. Small aerial threats have exposed gaps in many legacy air defense systems, forcing suppliers to combine speed, affordability, and enough sensing intelligence to improve kill probability.
Adding a proximity-oriented LiDAR capability is a direct response to that operational pressure. It suggests that the market increasingly values adaptations that can be delivered quickly and integrated into existing product families.
A fast-moving segment
The counter-UAS sector is evolving rapidly, and the Thales update fits that tempo. Operators want systems that are available now, not years from now, and manufacturers are under pressure to increase both technical responsiveness and production scale. The LGR275 Proxy's new sensor is therefore best understood as part of a larger industrial shift: adapting current weapons to a threat environment defined by drones, mass, and urgency.
This article is based on reporting by Breaking Defense. Read the original article.
Originally published on breakingdefense.com
