Jean-Brice Dumont. (Photo: Airbus)
New Delhi: MBDA, Europe’s largest missile manufacturer, has appointed Jean-Brice Dumont, a senior Airbus executive, as its next chief executive officer, with effect from November 1, 2026. Dumont will succeed Eric Béranger, who has led the company since June 2019.
The two executives will begin a handover process in October to ensure continuity of leadership, MBDA said in a statement.
Dumont currently leads the military air systems and air power business at Airbus Defence and Space, based in Seville, Spain, since 2021.
He also sits on MBDA’s supervisory board as Airbus’s representative. MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo, which hold stakes of 37.5%, 37.5% and 25% respectively.
Over more than 14 years, Dumont has served on the executive committees of Airbus Helicopters, Airbus Commercial and Airbus Group, including six years as executive vice-president for engineering and chief technology officer at Airbus Helicopters.
He has worked on large international programmes such as the Tiger and NH90 helicopters and the H160/HIL, and on commercial aircraft launches including the A321XLR and A350F.
In his current role, he has overseen the A400M transport aircraft programme and the modernization of the Eurofighter, A330 MRTT and C295 fleets, alongside preparation of next-generation drone, mission, transport and combat programmes.
A licensed French army aviation pilot, Dumont began his career in 1996 at the Directorate General for Armament, France’s defence procurement agency, working on the Tiger and Super Puma helicopter programmes. He is a graduate of the École Polytechnique and the ISAE-SUPAERO aerospace engineering school.
“I am honoured to join MBDA at a moment when the group stands at the centre of the defence of Europe and its allies,” Dumont said in the statement. “I would like to thank Eric for handing over a group that has been transformed and is ready for the challenges ahead. I am looking forward to meeting MBDA's people and pursuing the mission entrusted to me.”
The chairman of MBDA, Simon Barnes, said Dumont joins the company “with an excellent track record”, and wished him “a very warm welcome”.
Barnes said Béranger would hand over the group “with the trust of its customers, a historic order book, an industrial base in full expansion, and world-class technologies”.
“I would like to thank all the MBDA teams for their outstanding commitment,” Béranger said. “When I joined in 2019, none of us could have imagined what we would be faced with, but we stepped up to every challenge, and MBDA is now more essential than ever to global peace and security.”
During Béranger’s seven-year tenure, MBDA’s revenue nearly doubled, rising from about €3 billion in 2019, when the company employed 12,000 people and held an order book of €18 billion, to €5.8 billion in 2025, with a workforce of 22,000 and a record order book of €44.4 billion.
The company’s missile production doubled between 2023 and 2025, driven by a rearmament push across Europe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and disruption in the Red Sea caused by Houthi attacks. Output of the Aster air-defence interceptor rose roughly five-fold over the same period.
MBDA said it plans to increase overall production by about 40% in 2026 alone. Béranger had said in March that the company would raise its investment plan for the 2026-2030 period to €5 billion, up from an earlier €2.5 billion earmarked for 2025-2029.
MBDA’s portfolio includes the Meteor air-to-air missile, the Aster air-defence system, the Storm Shadow and Brimstone missiles, both used extensively in Ukraine, and the Sea Viper naval air-defence system.
MBDA said Dumont is expected to present a strategic roadmap for the company in early 2027.
