The French defense giant KNDS France (formerly Nexter) has reported that it has fully established its lineup of kamikaze drones under the Mataris project, which was showcased at the IDEX-2025 exhibition currently taking place in the UAE.
Alongside the demonstration of the new kamikaze drones, there was a renaming of previously presented developments, which received updated specifications compared to the demonstration in June 2024. Now, all drones with short, medium, and long ranges have been assigned easily recognizable indices: MT-10, MX-10, MV-25, and MV-100. It is also worth noting that the development of these drones was carried out by KNDS France in close collaboration with Delair and EOS Technologie.
MV-100 is the former Larinae, equipped with a jet engine and carrying a warhead weighing 2.5 kg (previously announced as 3 kg). It has a communication range of up to 100 km and can remain airborne for up to 3 hours at a speed of 400 km/h.
MV-25, now known as Colibri, features an electric motor, a communication range of up to 25 km, a flight duration of 40 minutes (previously 45 minutes), and carries a warhead weighing 0.55 kg (previously announced as 2.3 kg).
It is worth recalling that Colibri, now MV-25, is being supplied to Ukraine as part of defense assistance from France, as announced by French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu in October 2024. The first batch was expected to be delivered by the end of last year.
The new kamikaze drones from KNDS France are designed for short-range operations. MT-10 is a dual-rotor drone, while MX-10 is a conventional quadcopter. They share the same specifications: a range of up to 10 km, flight time of 40 minutes, and a fragmentation-explosive warhead with remote detonation weighing 0.55 kg.
As reported by Opex360, the MX-10 has already been ordered by the French army in a quantity of 460 units, with delivery scheduled by July 2026. The publication also notes that the French armed forces are expected to receive a total of 1800 kamikaze drones between 2026 and 2030. This is not about stockpiling, as it makes no sense—technology is advancing very rapidly.
For this reason, the French Ministry of Defense has ordered a relatively limited number solely for training and minimal reserves, which allows for production support and the ability to ramp up mass production if necessary. Thus, from the perspective of understanding the rapid obsolescence of these technologies, Paris has indeed made a paradoxically correct decision.