Germany German Armaments Industry News & Updates

[Blackbeardsgoldfish]

A thread for news, updates and discussions surrounding the german armaments industry, as well as related R&D and political developments.

 

[Blackbeardsgoldfish]

Habeck promises authorization for arms exports to Ukraine

https://augengeradeaus.net/2022/03/...hmigung-fuer-ruestungsexporte-in-die-ukraine/
(Article is in german)

Edit: A short summary in English

German minister for economic affairs Habeck has promised that arms exports from Germany to Ukraine will be authorized as quickly as possible.

Stocked supply of the german armed forces will be expended, where possible.

 

[Ryder]

Has the HK433 been adopted yet?

 

[Blackbeardsgoldfish]

Has the HK433 been adopted yet?

G36 remains the standard in the Bundeswehr, according to their website

https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/ausruestung-technik-bundeswehr/ausruestung-bewaffnung

 

[Cabatli_TR]

Rheinmetall’s new radar responds to highly challenging current and emerging short- and very short-range aerial threats: the new radar successfully detects and processes mini- and micro-unmanned aerial vehicles; incoming rockets, artillery and mortars engaging in high angle attacks; as well as air/surface weapons and cruise missiles. Thanks to adaptive full digital beamforming techniques in the S-band, Oerlikon AMMR automatically detects, classifies and tracks the full spectrum of aerial threats.

Rheinmetall Italia’s Oerlikon AESA Multi-Mission Radar is a state-of-the-art modular radar offering superior performance and ease of operation as well as integration into a wide range of platforms. It can track and classify multiple threats simultaneously. Oerlikon AMMR is designed to operate in stationary mode or on the move, even under grueling environmental and jamming conditions. Moreover, it features cutting-edge electronic counter-countermeasures. The radar is fully software-defined, with a configuration capable of adapting to the specific operational scenario. It can be easily upgraded in the future to keep pace with evolving threat scenarios.

In February 2022 Rheinmetall Italia held an Open Day event to demonstrate the new Oerlikon AMMR. The successful event was attended by representatives of all four branches of the Italian armed forces – Army, Air Force, Navy and Carabinieri – as well as representatives of the National Armaments Directorate, the Defence Staff, the Italian State Police, and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

Rheinmetall unveils new AMMR radar for C-UAS, SHORAD and VSHORAD applications | Defense News April 2022 Global Security army industry | Defense Security global news industry army year 2022 | Archive News year

 

[Gary]

Is there any rundown on German planned £100B defense procurement and how much German arms industries benefit from ?

 

[Blackbeardsgoldfish]

Is there any rundown on German planned £100B defense procurement and how much German arms industries benefit from ?

Periodically checking the news for that, but so far I haven't been able to find anything concrete. The 100Bil have been lost in the bureaucratic jungle, it seems. Will update once anything comes up though.

 

[Ryder]

G36 remains the standard in the Bundeswehr, according to their website

https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/ausruestung-technik-bundeswehr/ausruestung-bewaffnung

Was the HK G36 really that bad or was is it just a stupid political scandal?

I really like the HK G36 because its such a nice design. Really modern and futuristic.

 

[Blackbeardsgoldfish]

Was the HK G36 really that bad or was is it just a stupid political scandal?

I really like the HK G36 because its such a nice design. Really modern and futuristic.

A bit of both as I understood it. Lots and lots of suing from HK and countersuing from the government and political squabbling that didn't result in much. The army said the gun wasn't accurate after sustained firing, individual soldiers asked about it said different, but in the end the defence ministry decided to ditch the thing and get a new standard rifle.

But yes, I agree that the weapon itself looked good and unique

 

[Gary]

New jamming pod will defeat Russian air defence radars, Hensoldt says​

Germany’s Hensoldt has developed and trialled a ‘Kalaetron Attack’ electronic warfare system, which the company says “jams even the latest Russian [air defence] radars”.

Announcing the development on 26 April, Hensoldt says the pod-based product – which is intended for future use by the German air force’s Eurofighter combat aircraft – is the result of “combining artificial intelligence, digitisation and active electronically scanned array technologies”.

Source: Bundeswehr
Developmental jamming technology could be added to German air force Eurofighters
“Kalaetron Attack has recently proven its effectiveness in current threat scenarios in extensive ground tests,” Hensoldt says. “The next development step, planned for summer 2022, is to install it in an aircraft in order to confirm the already outstanding laboratory results in realistic flight tests.”

“By combining the latest technologies, we have managed to optimise the interference performance in a targeted manner,” says Celia Pelaz, the head of Hensoldt’s spectrum dominance division. “We are bundling these capabilities in order to develop – if necessary in co-operation with other companies – a solution under national sovereignty.

“This makes Kalaetron Attack scalable at any time for deployments as a self-protection system or the roles of an escort and stand-off jammer,” Pelaz adds.

Hensoldt details key technologies as including “a fully digitised, broadband sensor and effector; an electronically controllable jammer; and a condensed structure of the electronic components only made possible by metallic 3D printing”.

Berlin earlier this year announced its intention to acquire an additional batch of Eurofighters as future replacements for the Luftwaffe’s Panavia Tornado electronic combat and reconnaissance fleet.

New jamming pod will defeat Russian air defence radars, Hensoldt says

Germany's Hensoldt has developed and trialled a 'Kalaetron Attack' electronic warfare system, which the company says "jams even the latest Russian [air defence] radars".

www.flightglobal.com

 

[Blackbeardsgoldfish]

Rheinmetall to Develop New Solution for US Navy​

American Rheinmetall Munitions, Inc. has been awarded a $14.3M (€13.5M contract under a US Navy Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to prototype a low-cost engagement capability that increases the effectiveness of existing and future naval gun weapon systems against air and surface threats, Rheinmetall writes in a press release.

The resulting prototype system is to lead to an Initial Operating Capability for the 30mm x 173 MK 340 MOD 0 Kinetic Energy Electronically Timed (KEET) airburst munition. The MK 340KEET is derived from the NATO-qualified Rheinmetall 30mm x 173 Kinetic Energy Timed Fuze (KETF) cartridge currently fielded by the Australian, German, and Hungarian militaries. The system is expected to provide significant lethality improvements and a reduction in rounds fired due to the increased first-round hit probability.

https://euro-sd.com/2022/06/news/land/26711/rheinmetall-3/

 

[Blackbeardsgoldfish]

Hensoldt completes ground and field tests of its jammer​

The Kalaetron Attack system can be installed on the German Air Force’s Eurofighter as an escort jammer.

Hensoldt's Kalaetron Attack has proven its effectiveness against anti-aircraft radars of various types. Credit: Hensoldt.

German sensor solutions provider Hensoldt has concluded a series of wide-ranging ground and field tests on its Kalaetron Attack jamming system.
The demonstrations validated the jammer’s effectiveness in protecting aircraft against different kinds of enemy air defence radars.
The tests were conducted in various operationally relevant scenarios and showcased the capability of the attack system to detect the latest air defence radars and obstruct them via accurately directed jamming signals.

Kalaetron Attack has been designed and developed by combining artificial intelligence, 3D printing technologies, digitisation, and Active Electronically Scanning Array (AESA).
Hensoldt Spectrum Dominance Division head and chief strategy officer Celia Pelaz said: “Control of the electromagnetic spectrum is an essential prerequisite for information superiority, and thus the success of military missions and the protection of one’s own soldiers.”
“Kalaetron Attack also makes it possible to deny the enemy the use of this spectrum – for air defence, for example.”
The Kalaetron jamming system is a part of Hensoldt’s fully digital Kalaetron family.
This product family is being used in the signal reconnaissance and self-protection systems of the German Armed Forces.

According to Hensoldt, the Kalaetron Attack can be equipped on the German Air Force’s Eurofighter jets as an escort jammer to provide a timely capability transfer to the Electronic Combat and Reconnaissance (ECR) Tornado aircraft.
It will also provide Eurofighter with the critical component of electronic warfare or escort jamming in modern operational scenarios.
Furthermore, this scalable system can be used in ship- and land-based applications.

https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/hensoldt-ground-field-tests-jammer/

 

[Strong AI]

Malfunction at the Bundeswehr
New Spy Satellites Not Operational

At the end of December, two spy satellites were launched into space, which were supposed to become operational now. However, according to a media report, there are technical problems - the satellites are therefore not deployable.

The spy satellites of the Bundeswehr, which were launched into space about six months ago by carrier rocket, are reportedly not functional, according to a media report. The two SARah-type satellites may not be deployable in the future due to a technical defect, reported "Bild am Sonntag" in advance. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense was quoted as saying there are ongoing delays in the commissioning.

The manufacturer, the Bremen-based aerospace and technology group OHB, is working on a solution. However, this has not yet led to any success. The satellites were supposed to start sending images to Earth from the end of June, according to the newspaper. The probable reason for the malfunction is that the antennas could not be deployed.

[...]

Satellites Intended to Improve Reconnaissance Capability

At the end of December, OHB announced that the two reflector satellites had been launched into space from California. Initial signals were received shortly thereafter. The Bundeswehr would now have "an improved global reconnaissance capability independent of time of day and weather conditions."

The Bundeswehr is currently expanding its military surveillance from space. The two SARah satellites were brought into space by the US space company SpaceX. They observe the Earth not only with a camera but also with radar, which allows for nighttime imaging. The SARah system is the successor to the SAR-Lupe system, which has been in service since 2007.

Neue Spionage-Satelliten der Bundeswehr nicht funktionsfähig

Ende Dezember wurden zwei Spionage-Satelliten ins All geschossen, die jetzt in Betrieb gehen sollten. Doch laut einem Medienbericht gibt es technische Probleme - die Satelliten sind demnach nicht einsetzbar.

www.tagesschau.de

 

[Strong AI]

IRIS-T SLM for Germany: Air Force Achieves Initial Operational Capability

The German Air Force has reached Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the ground-based air defense system IRIS-T SLM, provided by Diehl Defence, following the completion of training for the first group of operators. This milestone was celebrated with an event at the Todendorf training ground in Schleswig-Holstein, attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, and Air Force Inspector General Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, along with Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch and a representative from the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support (BAAINBw).

Just about a year ago, the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag approved the procurement of six firing units funded by the Bundeswehr's special assets, initiating the deployment of the IRIS-T SLM system within the German armed forces. By early August 2024, Diehl Defence delivered the first IRIS-T SLM firing unit to the Bundeswehr procurement office as planned. Today's IOC declaration marks another timely milestone achieved by the involved partners.

The IRIS-T SLM systems are designed to protect critical infrastructure, objects, and personnel on the ground by defending against aerial threats such as aircraft, missiles, and drones. These systems from Diehl Defence significantly contribute to the defense capabilities of the Federal Republic of Germany and other user nations.

Since the summer of 2023, Diehl Defence and the German Air Force have jointly operated a training center for IRIS-T SLM in Todendorf. This center also offers training courses for participants from other customer nations. Air Chiefs from several countries participating in the 'European Sky Shield Initiative' (ESSI) also attended today's event as guests.

During the IOC declaration, Helmut Rauch symbolically handed over the key for the IRIS-T SLM system to Harald Albrecht, the representative of Annette Lehnigk-Emden (President of BAAINBw). Rauch stated, "I am proud that Diehl Defence, as a system integrator for ground-based air defense, has contributed to the German Air Force's ability to declare IOC for our IRIS-T SLM system today."

IRIS-T SLM für Deutschland: Luftwaffe erreicht initiale Einsatzbereitschaft | Diehl Defence

Die deutsche Luftwaffe hat mit dem Abschluss der Ausbildung des ersten Bedienpersonals für das bodengebundene Luftverteidigungssystem IRIS-T SLM, geliefert von Diehl Defence, die initiale Einsatzbereitschaft (Initial Operating Capability – IOC) für das System erreicht. Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz...

www.diehl.com