MBDA's MICA is a French multi-mission missile family used from Rafale and Mirage 2000-5 fighters and adapted into VL MICA land and VL-MICA-M naval air-defense systems. It pairs RF and imaging-infrared seeker options in a 112-kilogram, 3.1-meter missile class; recent reporting documents Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5 carriage in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War and French Rafale use during the 2026 Iran War.
Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5 fighters were photographed carrying MICA air-to-air missiles; separately, SIPRI lists a 2020 Ukrainian order for two VL-MICA-M naval air-defense systems for Turkish-built MİLGEM corvettes, with later reporting identifying VL MICA as Hetman Ivan Mazepa's intended air-defense fit but not confirming operational firing.
Role detailsFrench Rafale fighters used MICA missiles during air-defense operations against Iranian drones and missiles, with reporting noting significant wartime consumption of the missile stock.
MICA is useful as a catalog family because the same compact missile class appears in fighter-carried and vertical-launch air-defense forms. The air-launched branch centers on Rafale and Mirage 2000-5 carriage; the VL branch packages MICA for land launchers or ship cells while preserving RF and IR seeker options.
| Configuration | Launch mode | Documented role |
|---|---|---|
| MICA EM / RF | Air-launched | Radar-guided beyond-visual-range and self-defense missile for fighter aircraft. |
| MICA IR | Air-launched | Imaging-infrared seeker option for short-range and beyond-visual-range air combat. |
| VL MICA | Ground vertical launch | Vehicle-mounted point and local-area air defense controlled by a tactical operations centre and separate radar. |
| VL MICA-M | Naval vertical launch | Ship-fitted point defense for surface combatants, with Ukrainian Ada-class corvette reporting identifying VL MICA as the planned air-defense missile. |
| VL MICA NG | Ground and naval vertical launch | New-generation vertical-launch branch with updated missile, radar, tactical operations, and naval integration context. |
Sources: MICA | MBDA; VL MICA | MBDA; VL MICA NG | MBDA; Naval launch customer for MBDA's VL MICA NG; Naval News Ivan Mazepa sea trials.
MBDA groups the family around RF and IR seeker options, with MICA NG extending the same dual-role concept and VL MICA adapting the missile to vertical-launch ground and naval air-defense systems.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| MICA EM / RF | Radar-guided air-to-air missile | The radar-guided branch gives Rafale and Mirage 2000-5 a fire-and-forget beyond-visual-range and self-defense missile option. Sources: MICA | MBDA |
| MICA IR | Imaging-infrared air-to-air missile | The infrared branch uses an imaging infrared seeker while retaining the same compact missile class and air-combat employment concept. Sources: MICA | MBDA |
| MICA NG | New-generation air-to-air missile | MICA NG keeps the MICA role set for Rafale while adding new-generation RF and IR seeker technology and improved performance. |
| VL MICA | Vertical-launch land air defense | VL MICA deploys the MICA missile from vehicle-mounted launchers controlled by a tactical operations centre and separate radar for point and local-area air defense. Sources: VL MICA | MBDA |
| VL MICA-M | Ship-launched naval air defense | VL-MICA-M is a naval designation for the ship-launched vertical-launch branch; current MBDA product pages generally group land and naval applications under VL MICA and VL MICA NG. Sources: VL MICA | MBDA, Naval launch customer for MBDA's VL MICA NG, Naval News Ivan Mazepa sea trials |
| VL MICA NG | New-generation vertical-launch air defense | VL MICA NG combines the newer MICA missile generation with updated launcher, tactical operations center, and radar elements; MBDA presents the NG branch for both ground-based and naval applications. Sources: VL MICA NG | MBDA, Naval launch customer for MBDA's VL MICA NG |
MBDA describes MICA as the multi-mission air-to-air missile system for both Rafale and Mirage 2000-5 aircraft, and also notes commonality in Hellenic Air Force inventories.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Multirole fighter aircraft | MBDA says the Rafale uses MICA as its multi-mission air-to-air missile and lists it among the weapons for Greece's new Rafale fleet. Sources: MICA | MBDA, MBDA to arm Hellenic Air Force's new Rafale fighter jets |
 | Fighter aircraft | MBDA identifies the latest Mirage 2000-5 combat aircraft as a MICA platform and says the Hellenic Air Force's Mirage 2000 and Mirage 2000-5 aircraft share common weapons with Rafale. Sources: MICA | MBDA, MBDA to arm Hellenic Air Force's new Rafale fighter jets |
The VL-MICA-M branch adapts the MICA missile family to ship-fitted vertical launchers for point defense on compact surface combatants.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Ada-class corvette | Naval News reported that France would supply VL MICA missiles for Ukraine's Ada-class corvette air-defense system, and later reporting showed what appeared to be VL MICA launchers fitted at the stern. Sources: Naval News Ivan Mazepa sea trials, TurDef Ukraine MİLGEM VL MICA launchers |
MBDA launched the VL MICA NG air-defense system for ground-to-air and surface-to-air applications using the new-generation MICA missile.
Naval News reported that Ukraine's Ada-class corvette Hetman Ivan Mazepa was in sea trials and that France would supply VL MICA missiles for its vertical-launch air-defense system.
A Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5 was photographed with a MICA air-to-air missile, documenting the missile on Ukrainian aircraft in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
MBDA announced an agreement to implement local maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities for Indian Air Force MICA missiles.
MBDA reported a second MICA NG development firing from a Rafale, conducted for the first time in a supersonic flight configuration.
