Land Forces 2026: NIOA, MBDA sign Deluge production agreement

A 1:2 scale model of the MBDA Deluge OWAM is displayed at Unmanned System Exhibition and Conference (UMEX) 2026 in Abu Dhabi. (Janes/Samuel Vivek Williams)

Australian firm NIOA has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with MBDA to explore the production of the French firm's Deluge one-way attack munition (OWAM) in Australia.

The agreement was announced at the Land Forces 2026 exhibition, held from 6 to 8 October, in Perth, where MBDA displayed Deluge in Australia for the first time. The system is scheduled to enter production in France in 2027, according to NIOA.

NIOA said Deluge is a turbojet-powered expendable system designed to conduct saturation attacks against targets, including air-defence systems. It has a stated range of up to 500 km, a maximum speed of Mach 0.4, and can carry a 50 kg-class payload.

“The Deluge OWAM is well adapted to the current and future low-cost mass effect requirements of the Australian Defence Force (ADF),” Rob Nioa, the CEO of NIOA Group said.

NIOA said Deluge has been designed for high-rate production in partnership with civilian industry and is capable of integrating available warheads, including M795 projectile casings.

The M795 casings are being manufactured by Rheinmetall NIOA Munitions (RNM), a joint venture between NIOA and Rheinmetall, at its facility in Maryborough, Queensland, under an AUD72 million (USD50 million) Australian government contract. The contract was awarded in June 2026.

The MoU expands co-operation between NIOA and MBDA. In November 2025 the companies signed an agreement to explore the domestic production of warheads for MBDA's Mistral missile family.

For more, please see:

Eurosatory 2026: MBDA unveils Land Cruise Missile Mk II combined with Deluge one way effector

Land Forces 2026: Australia's NIOA partners Canadian firm for local munitions manufacturing