German companies Rheinmetall and MBDA to set up a company to develop laser weapons
German companies Rheinmetall and MBDA Germany are planning to set up a joint venture to develop a shipboard laser weapon. This was reported by Hartpunkt.
Here's What We Know
Cooperation between the companies in the field of military laser technology has been going on for several years. In 2022 and 2023, a jointly developed laser was successfully tested aboard the Sachsen frigate as part of the High Energy Marine Laser Demonstration Working Group (ARGE).
In September 2023, Rheinmetall and MBDA signed an agreement to jointly develop laser weapons for ships. To establish a joint venture, the companies submitted a request to the German Federal Cartel Office in December 2024 and have already received permission. However, it is not yet known how the company will be organised and what products it will produce.
It is known that the output power of the demonstrator beam reaches 20 kW at high beam density. The demonstrator consists of 12 fibre laser modules with a power of up to 2 kW each, the beams of which are brought together in a single beam by an optical system. The technology makes it possible to increase the power up to 100 kW without significant design changes.
Demonstrators of the German marine laser system. Illustration: Indian Defence Review
During the tests in 2022-2023, the system fired more than 100 test shots, destroying unmanned aerial vehicles at short and extremely short distances. It has been confirmed to be effective against UAVs, swarms of drones, speedboats, and possibly guided missiles. In the future, the system can be upgraded to combat supersonic missiles, rockets, as well as artillery and mortar attacks.
Interestingly, the companies have divided responsibilities among themselves: MBDA Deutschland is responsible for target detection and tracking, integration of the laser into the control system and operator console. At the same time, Rheinmetall is responsible for the development of the laser system, its guidance, the demonstrator container, and the mechanical and electrical integration of the system onto the Sachsen frigate.
Source: Hartpunkt