Development Contract Signed for Germany’s Advanced Short- and Very Short-Range Air Defence System
The Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), Germany’s military procurement agency, has officially signed a development contract with the Short- and Very Short-Range Air Defence System Consortium (ARGE NNbS) for the “Air Defence System, Short- and Very Short-Range,” known as LVS NNbS. Comprising Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH of Bremen, Diehl Defence GmbH & Co. KG of Überlingen, and Hensoldt Sensors GmbH of Taufkirchen, ARGE NNbS was established in 2021 to address critical gaps in Germany’s ground-based air defence capabilities.
The development contract, valued at approximately €1.2 billion (including VAT), allocates €607 million to Rheinmetall, €339 million to Diehl, and €284 million to Hensoldt, reflecting their respective contributions to the project.
Germany, as NATO’s lead nation in ground-based air defence and a participant in the European Sky Shield Initiative, emphasizes the strategic importance of introducing the LVS NNbS to enhance its air defence capabilities.
The primary objective of the LVS NNbS development project is to optimize medium-range air defence and establish high-mobility air defence capabilities for safeguarding manoeuvre forces against aerial threats, even while on the move.
Key project objectives include:
- Achieving the necessary networking of individual components.
- Integrating the medium-range IRIS T-SLM guided missile.
- Ensuring interoperability.
- Extending the intercept zone to include short-range threats.
Networking capabilities will facilitate the connection to IRIS T-SLM fire units currently under procurement and the Skyranger 30 ground-based mobile air defence system to be acquired in the future.
The responsibility for the project lies with the German defence industry, with ARGE NNbS serving as the German government’s contract partner. By consolidating complementary core capabilities, including those of other German defence contractors, ARGE NNbS aims to bring together the essential knowledge, capabilities, and expertise required for the successful execution of the project.