As part of its recently published strategic direction, “Kurs Marine,” the German Navy plans, among other things, to expand its “Maritime Strike” capabilities (land attack carried out by at-sea assets). Arming submarines with missiles is also apparently being considered.
By Waldemar Geiger / Hartpunkt.
To expand its capabilities, the German Navy needs “the short-term expansion of the strike capability of all suitable units – especially submarines – in order to be able to deploy this capability covertly from locations where the enemy is not expecting it,” write the authors of Kurs Marine. However, the strategy paper does not specify which standoff weapons the Navy intends to equip its submarines and ships with.
As German submarines do not have vertical launchers, it is necessary to fire the missiles in question from the boats’ torpedo tubes. At the same time, the weapons would have to be modern missiles that are currently in use in order to fulfill the required short-term aspect and at the same time have future viability. However, the term “short-term” was not defined. It is well known that a German armament second lasted three years until recently. Even if things have changed for the better in the past three years since the “Zeitenwende” was declared, short-term measures today still take several years, as can be seen from the armament project to equip the F125 frigates with the Iris-T SLM air defense system, which was declared short-term. The first signals in this regard were seen more than a year ago, and the first firing tests are scheduled for fall 2025.
Weapon Options
As things stand, the requirement for a weapon that is readily available and future-proof probably only applies to the “Torpedo Tube Launched (TTL)” variant of the Tomahawk Block V missile from the US manufacturer Raytheon, as well as the Missile de Croisière Naval (MdCN) and SM.40 Exocet from MBDA France. The TTL Tomahawks are no longer being manufactured, and according to a statement by the Dutch Ministry of Defense in a letter sent to the Dutch Parliament a few days ago, there are no plans to resume production. “To make the Tomahawk cruise missile suitable for launch from torpedo tubes, the development and establishment of a new production line in the United States is necessary. The Department of Defense assumed that it could cooperate with the United States and the United Kingdom in this effort, as stated in the A-Letter. However, during the procurement preparatory phase, it became clear that there were no international partners with a need for the production of the TTL variant of the Tomahawk cruise missile. Without cost-sharing with international partners, the production and subsequent maintenance costs of the required TTL variant are too high, and the associated financial risks are highly undesirable for the Department of Defense,” the published letter states verbatim. The same likely applies to the German Navy. According to its Chief Inspector (Chief of Navy), the Navy is considering arming its own platforms with Tomahawk cruise missiles, hartpunkt reported, but according to naval sources, this would only be an armament option for surface ships.
Some observers also consider the armament of boats manufactured by the German manufacturer TKMS with French cruise missiles unlikely, as this would make the boats even more attractive to potential buyers, which could worsen the competitive position of French submarines. In principle, however, both the MdCN, which France is also promoting as part of the ELSA initiative, and the SM40 Exocet could be installed on German submarines. The latter is also designed to engage land targets. However, the German Navy has reportedly shown no interest in the two French missiles so far.
Recently, another, very valid option has emerged, which, according to well-informed sources, the Bundeswehr is also interested in.
On June 17, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced that future Dutch Orka-class submarines will be armed with a submarine-launched variant of the Joint Strike Missile. “To ensure the striking power of the submarines yet to be built, the Ministry of Defense is participating in the development of a weapon system. Several European countries are collaborating under the leadership of Spain. This so-called ‘Joint Strike Missile – Submarine Launched’ meets all requirements,” reads a statement from the Dutch Ministry of Defense. The Netherlands expects the submarine-launched variant of the Joint Strike Missile to be available in time for integration into the new submarines in 2032.
Joint Strike Missile – Submarine Launched
In an information letter to the Dutch Parliament, from which the above-quoted passage on the Tomahawk armament option also comes, the Dutch Ministry of Defence provides considerably more details.
According to the document, the selection of the Orka submarine armament option was decided on the basis of a “comprehensive comparison,” and the decision was made to participate in the development of the Joint Strike Missile – Submarine Launched (JSM-SL) as part of a multinational European collaboration led by Spain. This participation option, as one can read between the lines of the letter, has only recently become possible.
One of the advantages of the JSM-SL was that it can be used successfully against land targets as well as surface ships. The Joint Strike Missile (JSM) is a 400 kg air-to-surface guided missile made by the Norwegian manufacturer Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. The JSM was developed on the basis of the proven ship- and land-based anti-ship missile Naval Strike Missile (NSM). Compared to the NSM, its range has been increased by 50 percent, and the missile has been equipped with significantly more modern electronics. The manufacturer states a range of over 350 km, although this range refers to fire from aircraft. Some user nations calculate the range of the air-launched variant at around 560 km. The missile, which has stealth characteristics, is designed to overcome even the most sophisticated air and missile defense systems. In addition to the composite construction of the fuselage, the reliance on passive sensors also makes the missile difficult to detect by enemy air defense systems.
As the Dutch Ministry of Defense further writes, the JSM-SL is part of the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) and Naval Strike Missile (NSM) product families, which have also been or are being acquired by other European armed forces. An interesting side note is that the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) is currently procuring both the NSM as a future missile armament for the Navy’s frigates and the JSM for the Air Force’s F-35.
According to the letter, an initial development phase lasting eighteen months is now to begin, followed by production preparation and procurement.
“The JSM-SL is being developed through multinational cooperation, with costs shared by the participating countries. Support during development and production will be provided by an international agency (OCCAR or NSPA),” the letter continues.
Considerations about developing a submarine-launched variant of the NSM/JSM missile family are nothing new. For example, the Norwegian manufacturer Kongsberg first considered upgrading the weapon for use from submarines over ten years ago. According to a company presentation dated March 2014, an NSM-SL variant of the missile was already proposed at that time, which would achieve initial operational readiness (IOC) starting in 2026. Interesting in this context is the illustration of the development pipeline, which shows a submarine design that closely resembles the German U212 design. Apparently, however, the Norwegians were unable to find anyone willing to finance the development.
JSM-SL for the German Navy?
When asked by hartpunkt, the German Ministry of Defense declined to confirm whether the Bundeswehr will procure the JSM-SL in addition to the NSM and the JSM. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense simply stated: “The Bundeswehr is working hard to improve strike capabilities. The Navy will make a significant contribution here. We are in close contact with our allies to leverage synergies through possible joint developments and procurements. Germany is already procuring missiles from the strike missile family. Arming submarines is another option for improving strike capabilities. We cannot comment on details at this time.” However, the fact that the Bundeswehr Procurement Office (BAAINBw) is reportedly planning to participate in the aforementioned international quasi-risk minimization study suggests that the Navy is interested in procuring such a weapon.
Furthermore, the new weapon is a Norwegian product, making it likely to be considered as an armament option for future Norwegian submarines. Since Norway and Germany are jointly procuring similar 212 CD submarines, it would be highly unlikely that the armament option would not also be considered for German submarines. Both Germany and Norway intend to operate six submarines of this type, with Germany already ordering six systems and Norway four. The order for two more submarines has been announced and is expected shortly.
Since the boats are scheduled to arrive in 2029 (Norway) and 2032 (Germany), the development timelines for the JSM-SL should not be a reason to rule them out. The fact that both the NSM and JSM should be qualified and in service with the German armed forces by then should further increase the chances of the missiles entering service quickly. Should the missiles become available sooner, they could certainly also be considered for the current Class 212 A boats.
This article by Waldemar Geiger was originally published in German language at Hartpunkt.de. It has been translated and republished with authorization.
