Diehl Defence, a German supplier of guided missiles and ground-based air defense systems, and the US defense company Lockheed Martin yesterday signed an agreement that includes the potential to combine the air defense capabilities of both companies for international surface combatant programs around the world.
By Lars Hoffman / Hartpunkt
On the occasion of this year’s Berlin Security Conference, Helmut Rauch, CEO of Diehl Defence, and Chandra Marshall, Vice President at Lockheed Martin, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the conference venue, as both partners wrote in a press release.
Following yesterday’s letter of intent, both companies intend to thoroughly examine the possibility of integrating Iris-T family guided missiles into the Aegis weapon system and the MK41 vertical launch system.
As Helmut Rauch explained to journalists after the contract signing, the initial focus is on integrating the Iris-T SLM and, looking ahead, the HYDEF hypersonic missile, which Diehl is currently playing a key role in developing within the framework of the European Defence Fund. Should customers express interest in the Iris-T SLS or the still-under-development Iris-T SLX, an evaluation of these options would also be conceivable. The Diehl Defence CEO anticipates that – based on experience gained from testing the Iris-T SLM on the Type 125 frigates – integration should be possible within ten months. The company is ready to proceed if a customer places an order.
According to him, the future F127 air-defense frigate of the German Navy is one of the potential platforms for the IRIS-T SLM. The F127 will be the first German warship to receive the Aegis system and will be fitted with Mk 41 vertical launch systems. Rauch sees no issue with the fact that the ship’s combat system architecture is part of a U.S. Navy Program of Record, incorporating the Aegis Mk 41 and Raytheon’s SPY-6 radar. He expects both the IRIS-T SLM and HYDEF systems to be fully integrable. Apart from a possible software adjustment, no changes to the IR seeker are planned, he added. Rauch also noted that, beyond the German Navy, several other European navies have expressed interest in adopting the IRIS-T SLM, but he declined to provide further details.
Neither Diehl nor Lockheed Martin anticipates any technical obstacles to integrating the missile into the Aegis combat management system. Both companies highlighted their long-standing cooperation and extensive expertise in this field, noting that initial integration simulations have already been carried out. During the discussion, Chandra Marshall emphasized that Aegis is built around an open system architecture capable of interfacing with a wide range of effectors and sensors. She added that integration would ideally be conducted using Lockheed Martin’s SPY-7 radar, as this would allow the use of the company’s existing technical infrastructure. According to Marshall, a smaller, containerized version of the Aegis system would likely be deployed to Germany for the integration work, with the results subsequently applicable to larger Aegis configurations.
According to Marshall, the integration of the Iris-T missile into the Mk 70 launcher will also be investigated. This is a containerized version of the Mk 41 for land-based applications, but it can also be deployed on ships. Ships without a vertical launch system are particularly suitable as carriers. The Mk 70 launcher is also intended for launching the surface-to-surface version of the Tomahawk cruise missile.
“By combining their expertise and capabilities, Diehl Defence and Lockheed Martin can enable navies worldwide to benefit from the best possible air defense systems for their surface combat ships. We are proud to intensify our cooperation with Lockheed Martin in the field of guided missiles and air defense applications,” Rauch emphasized.
“This strategic collaboration is further proof of the scalability and increased capacity of our programs, which bring next-generation IAMD capabilities and 21st-century security to the world,” said Chandra Marshall.
Diehl Defence and Lockheed Martin have collaborated on various projects in the past. Recently, the two companies signed a letter of intent to cooperate on the global supply chain for guided missiles for the Patriot system.
This article by Lars Hoffman was originally published in German language at Hartpunkt.de. It has been translated and republished with authorization.
