Rheinmetall and MBDA win contract to develop laser weapon system for German Navy

PARIS — Rheinmetall and MBDA will develop a high-energy laser weapon for the German Navy, building on previous work by the two companies on a laser demonstrator. The weapon system is expected to become operational in 2029.

The equipment office of the German armed forces signed a contract with MBDA Deutschland and Rheinmetall Waffe Munition in June to develop the full system — from reconnaissance to target tracking and engagement — the companies said in statements on Thursday. Rheinmetall stated that the contract value is in the "mid three-digit" million-euro range.

Several European navies are working on laser weapons. The United Kingdom's Royal Navy, for example, plans to fit the DragonFire directed-energy weapon on a destroyer by 2027, in work led by MBDA in partnership with Leonardo and QinetiQ. Naval vessels are particularly suited to deploy powerful lasers, as they can provide the necessary physical space, electrical power, sensors, and cooling.

The German military has tested a Rheinmetall-MBDA laser weapon demonstrator aboard the frigate Sachsen. (Rheinmetall)

"The laser weapon system will provide our personnel deployed on naval vessels with a significantly higher level of protection, particularly when it comes to countering drones," Roman Koehne, head of Rheinmetall's weapons and ammunition division, said in a statement.

According to MBDA and Rheinmetall, the laser weapon system has a "very high level" of technological maturity. The demonstrator has been deployed on the German frigate Sachsen, covering 28,000 nautical miles from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean, and firing over 1,000 shots at air, sea, and land targets during more than a year of testing.

The containerized laser effector will also serve as a cost-effective weapon for port security, said MBDA Deutschland Managing Director Thomas Gottschild. According to Rheinmetall and MBDA, the system can focus power on an area measuring just a few centimeters and has proven effective even in adverse weather conditions.

The MBDA-Rheinmetall joint venture will place "particular emphasis" on German supply chains and local systems expertise to secure national sovereignty in the technology, the companies said. According to Koehne, serial production will "largely" take place in Germany.

Other Defense Developments

In other weapon-development news, the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis said it tested its electromagnetic railgun outdoors for the first time in June, moving the system out of laboratory conditions. The institute will now work on higher energy levels and longer distances as a path toward a possible future deployable system, it said in a statement on Thursday. Railguns use electromagnetic acceleration rather than chemical propellants to fire a projectile and could provide a possible counter to hypersonic threats.

Meanwhile, Belgium announced it will buy 20 of Rheinmetall's Skyranger 30 anti-drone cannons and 14 Thales GM200 radars, in addition to a previously announced plan to purchase 10 NASAMS air-defense systems from Kongsberg. Defense Minister Theo Francken said the country is investing €3.1 billion ($3.5 billion) to build up a layered air defense system, after two decades without one.

About the Author

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He began his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets, and politics.

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