MBDA announced a new low-cost strike drone called the One Way Effector at Paris Air Show, claiming a range of around 500 kilometers with a 40-kilogram warhead.
Designed to leverage lessons learned from the use of inexpensive drones for attack missions in Ukraine and in the Middle East, the One Way Effector (OWE) is designed to be low-cost enough to be launched in salvoes which can overwhelm hostile air defenses. In doing so, OWEs are intended to trigger a response from those air defenses, revealing their locations for subsequent strikes.
MBDA intends to manufacture OWEs at a high rate, making use of techniques and knowledge from civilian industries, including the automotive industry, to streamline production. Up to a thousand individual units are expected to be able to be produced per month.
🇫🇷🇬🇧 Toujours du beau monde sur le stand de @MBDAFrance @MBDA_UK #PAS2025.
Pour rappel, #MBDA annonce un partenariat avec une entreprise automobile française pour la production d’un petite nouveau : le One Way Effector (500km de portée) à 1000 unités par mois.
En savoir plus 🔗… pic.twitter.com/yyJ9KXoUpq
— OpexNews (@OpexNews) June 15, 2025
“One Way Effector once again demonstrates MBDA’s agility to innovate and seek new ways to meet the challenges of the new conflicts doctrines,” claims Eric Béranger, CEO of MBDA. “MBDA has already demonstrated its ability to scale up, and continues to adapt through the development of new effectors that meet the need for mass, thanks to unique partnerships with civilian industry.”
The One Way Effector is a small drone, with a wingspan of approximately 3 meters and a jet engine that will offer speeds up to around 400 km/h. It is somewhat reminiscent of the Banshee jet target drone that has also been adapted into a one way attack UAV (OWUAV) for use in Ukraine, although the OWE features two vertical stabilizers at each wingtip rather than one on the fuselage centerline.
Tests are due to commence by the end of 2025, with production of operational examples expected from 2027. The automotive manufacturer MBDA hopes to partner with for production has not yet been revealed.
Speaking to reporters at the air show, business development manager for MBDA France Hugo Coqueret said that, alongside an explosive warhead, the drone could potentially carry other payloads, or even no payload at all (which would be unknown to an opposing force, compelling them to assume it is armed and engage with air defenses).
By forcing advanced #airdefencesystems to react, the ONE WAY EFFECTOR exposes them to detection and neutralisation — working in sync with long-range strike assets.
🎯 Smart saturation, not just destruction. pic.twitter.com/FLv52T4cdc
— MBDA (@MBDAGroup) June 16, 2025
MBDA says the OWE will be simple to operate, flying autonomously based on parameters set in an easy to use mission planning system. This could operate single units or entire swarms of OWEs in coordinated attacks.
OWE joins MBDA’s growing lineup of autonomous attack platforms, which also includes loitering munitions revealed in April 2025. This rapid shift towards small, attritable unmanned systems matches a clear effort by defense manufacturers worldwide to keep up with the emerging developments in warfare that are playing out every day. High intensity conflicts in Europe and the Middle East have forced military technologies to adapt and evolve at a pace not seen for many years.
No customer has yet been announced for OWE, though as a low-cost, high production rate system that requires little in the way of existing infrastructure it has a good chance of becoming an export success for the company. It is arguably almost certain that pre-production examples might find their way into the hands of Ukrainian forces for live testing in the field following initial flight tests.
