Manufacturer catalog

Matra

Matra was a French aerospace, defense, automotive, electronics, and media industrial group whose defense business became one of the roots of MBDA. Founded after World War II by Marcel Chassagny, Matra developed a long missile and air-launched weapons line before its high-technology activities merged into Aerospatiale Matra and then the European EADS and MBDA structures.

2 weapons

Matra's defense relevance comes from its missile and munition work rather than from the later consumer-facing automobile brand. Lagardere's corporate history identifies Matra as a defense-industry company founded in 1945, while MBDA's history places Matra in the French missile lineage that produced the Super 530 and Magic air-to-air missile family.

The company name also marks a major step in European missile consolidation. In 1996, Matra Defense and BAe Dynamics formed Matra BAe Dynamics; in 1999, Aerospatiale Matra, British Aerospace, and Finmeccanica announced a broader missile-systems combination. Aerospatiale Matra's 1999 annual report describes the missile activities of Aerospatiale Matra Missiles and Matra British Aerospace Dynamics as part of the same consolidation path that led to MBDA.

air-to-air missilesair-launched munitionsmissile systemsaerospace and defense electronics

Notable Systems

Matra Magic II missile, Short-range infrared homing air-to-air missile, Munitions

Matra Magic II missile

Short-range infrared homing air-to-air missile

Improved R.550 Magic-family short-range infrared air-to-air missile developed by Matra and linked in the catalog as a published weapon record.

Sources: R.550 Magic 1/Magic 2 Forecast International, Matra R.550 Magic | Weaponsystems.net, MBDA history
BLG 66 Belouga, Air-dropped cluster bomb and submunition dispenser, Munitions

BLG 66 Belouga

Air-dropped cluster bomb and submunition dispenser

French low-drag cluster-bomb dispenser whose published catalog record cites Matra-related production and development sourcing.

Sources: Belouga BLG 66 and EG/IZ/AC Submunitions, BLG-66 Belouga bomb

Manufacturer History

  1. Matra is founded

    Lagardere's official key-dates page says Marcel Chassagny founded Matra, an acronym for Mecanique Aviation Traction, as a company focused on the defense industry at the end of World War II.

    Sources: Lagardere key dates

  2. Jean-Luc Lagardere becomes chief executive

    Lagardere identifies 1963 as the year Jean-Luc Lagardere became chief executive of Matra, after the company had diversified into aerospace and automobiles.

    Sources: Lagardere key dates

  3. Matra Defense and BAe Dynamics merge missile activities

    MBDA's history describes the 1996 merger of Matra Defense and BAe Dynamics, a key step that created Matra BAe Dynamics and tied Matra's missile business to British Aerospace's guided-weapons line.

    Sources: MBDA history

  4. Aerospatiale Matra is formed

    Aerospatiale Matra's annual report states that the group was officially born on June 11, 1999 after the merger between Aerospatiale and Matra Hautes Technologies.

    Sources: Aerospatiale Matra Annual Report 1999

  5. European missile venture agreement is signed

    Lagardere's October 20, 1999 release says Aerospatiale Matra, British Aerospace, and Finmeccanica signed an agreement to combine missile and missile-systems activities, including Matra BAe Dynamics and the wholly owned missile subsidiary of Aerospatiale Matra.

    Sources: Lagardere MBDA agreement release

Successors
Aerospatiale MatraEADSMBDA
Subsidiaries
Matra DefenseMatra BAe DynamicsMatra Electronique
Website links
Lagardere key datesMBDA historyAerospatiale Matra annual report 1999Lagardere MBDA agreement release

Matra is treated as a defunct French industrial group and legacy missile manufacturer. Current corporate-history sources trace the defense and missile business through Aerospatiale Matra, EADS, and MBDA, while the linked weapon records carry system-specific evidence.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Lagardere key datesPublisher: Lagardere | Note: Supports Matra's 1945 founding by Marcel Chassagny, the Mecanique Aviation Traction name, the company's defense-industry origin, and Jean-Luc Lagardere's 1963 appointment. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • MBDA historyPublisher: MBDA | Note: Supports Matra's missile lineage, including the Super 530 and Magic family context, and the 1996 Matra Defense and BAe Dynamics merger. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Aerospatiale Matra Annual Report 1999Publisher: Aerospatiale Matra | Note: Supports the 1999 formation of Aerospatiale Matra, the merger of Aerospatiale and Matra Hautes Technologies, and the missile-sector consolidation involving Aerospatiale Matra Missiles and Matra British Aerospace Dynamics. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Lagardere MBDA agreement releasePublisher: Lagardere | Note: Supports the October 1999 agreement by Aerospatiale Matra, British Aerospace, and Finmeccanica to create a missile and missile-systems joint venture. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Matra R.550 Magic | Weaponsystems.netPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports Matra's manufacturer attribution and background context for the R.550 Magic missile family. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • R.550 Magic 1/Magic 2 Forecast InternationalPublisher: Forecast International | Note: Supports Magic 2 program history and Matra-family missile context used for the profile's catalog-linked notable system. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Belouga BLG 66 and EG/IZ/AC SubmunitionsPublisher: Forecast International | Note: Supports BLG 66 Belouga program background, production context, and technical details used for the profile's catalog-linked notable system. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • BLG-66 Belouga bombPublisher: Military Periscope | Note: Supports Matra development attribution and general background for the BLG-66 Belouga bomb. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

2/2
BLG 66 Belouga, Air-dropped cluster bomb and submunition dispenser, Munitions1990 Gulf War, 1991 Sierra Leone Civil War +1 moreBLG 66 BelougaAir-dropped cluster bomb and submunition dispenserBuilt in: FranceThe BLG 66 Belouga is a French low-drag air-dropped cluster bomb that dispenses 151 EG, IZ, or AC 66 mm submunitions from a standard NATO 14-inch attachment. The record covers French Jaguar carriage in the 1990 Gulf War, a disputed Nigerian ECOWAS use allegation from Sierra Leone, and later Boko Haram evidence limited to recovered submunitions reused in improvised explosives.
Matra Magic II missile, Short-range infrared homing air-to-air missile, Munitions2014 Russia-Ukraine WarMatra Magic II missileShort-range infrared homing air-to-air missileBuilt in: FranceThe Matra Magic II missile, also designated R.550 Magic 2, is a French short-range infrared-homing air-to-air missile developed by Matra as the improved follow-on to the original R.550 Magic. Reference sources describe it as the late-Cold-War version with an improved all-aspect seeker, and Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5 reporting in 2025 documents Magic 2 use in air-defense missions during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.