MBDA, Rheinmetall JV to develop German naval laser
The German Bundeswehr, alongside MBDA Deutschland and Rheinmetall, has tested a Laser Weapon Demonstrator, with over 100 field firings against a range of targets completed in September 2023. (MBDA)
Rheinmetall and MBDA Deutschland on 5 January announced plans to establish a joint venture (JV) for their naval laser activities in the first quarter of 2026.
Based on their existing co-operation since 2019 and the successful implementation of a Laser Weapons Demonstrator (LWD), the JV is intended to further develop laser weapon systems, initially for the German Navy.
What Rheinmetall described in its press release on 5 January as an âoperational laser weapon systemâ for the German Navy, it added, was âparticularly effective in counter-striking drones [unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)] and other highly agile targets at short and very-short rangesâ.
The LWD went through a successful one-year trial period at sea with field tests completed in September 2023. During the trial period more than 100 firing and tracking tests were conducted against various targets, including shooting at with a so-called âblue sky' background or the open sky, without using landscape behind to capture the beam. This was seen as a significant milestone in accuracy and the safety of other objects in the sky that are not the intended target.
The LWD was then transferred to the Bundeswehr's Laser Competence Centre of the Technical Centre for Weapons and Ammunition (Wehrtechnische Dienststelle 91: WTD 91) in Meppen for further testing. It has been taken back into operation and is also being used for further land-based drone defence testing, Rheinmetall said.
For more information, please see Rheinmetall, MBDA deliver laser demonstrator to Bundeswehrand Bundeswehr completes laser weapon demonstrator trials at sea .
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