Thales and KNDS France have introduced a land-based variant of the RAPIDFire naval defense system, designed to protect high-value assets in fast-moving combat zones.
Built for short-range defense, the system can take on drones, loitering munitions, low-end cruise missiles, and indirect fire threats.
It can deliver point defense coverage out to 4 kilometers (2.5 miles), backed by a 140-round ready rack that keeps it firing with fewer reloads.
RAPIDFire Land comes in two “mission-ready” configurations: a mobile version mounted on a 20-foot (6-meter) vehicle platform, and a semi-mobile setup optimized for defending static or expeditionary sites like forward airbases.
It also uses an automated fire control system that recalculates target trajectories between each shot, enabling precise intercepts even against low-signature threats.
Only two operators are required to run the system, with human input limited to confirming when to fire.
From Airburst to Armor-Piercing
At the core of the system is the Anti Aerial Airburst (A3B) munition, a programmable munition that ejects a focused blast to neutralize aerial targets mid-flight.
The ground-based RAPIDFire also supports the full family of 40mm Cased Telescoped Ammunition.
This includes point-detonating rounds that can pierce 210mm of reinforced concrete at 1,000 meters (3,280 feet), armor-piercing rounds effective against 140mm of rolled steel at 1,500 meters (4,920 feet), and programmable airburst munitions for engaging threats in the air.
Development of RAPIDFire Land aligns with France’s push for agile, more mobile air defense systems tailored for unpredictable battlefields.
Thales and KNDS are positioning it as a scalable option for both expeditionary and homeland missions.
