As of: January 30, 2024, 7:42 p.m
By: Bettina Menzel
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A visualization shows the Bundeswehr's planned air defense system for close and immediate area protection.
© Angela Micheletto/ARGE NNbS GbR/obs
There is apparently still a problem with the Bundeswehr's drone defense.
Three German defense companies are therefore supposed to develop a new air defense system.
It will be ready for series production in 2028.
Koblenz – In ground-based air defense, the Bundeswehr has a significant capability gap, as it is said in official German.
In short: a powerful system is missing when it comes to defending against medium-range threats - such as drone attacks.
This should now be remedied.
A merger of the companies Rheinmetall Electronics, Diehl Defense and Hensoldt Sensors is to develop corresponding prototypes for an “air defense system for close and closest area protection”, or LVS NNbS for short.
The system is scheduled to go into series production in 2028.
Drone killer for the Bundeswehr: Use in “close and immediate area protection”
Despite the turning point, the armament of the Bundeswehr initially progressed slowly.
Now the so-called LVS NNbS project is intended to close a gap in the defense capability of the German army.
The NNbS air defense system is intended to ensure the protection of moving land forces troops against attacks from the air, the Bundeswehr recently announced.
In addition, the system is also suitable for so-called spatial protection, such as critical infrastructure.
This is intended to optimize air defense to a range of up to 40 kilometers.
With this air defense system, “the Air Force would then be able to provide effective drone defense,” the Bundeswehr said in a statement.
The new system should be highly mobile.
This means: It should have the ability to follow land forces in combat and protect them from attacks from the air.
The focus is on modularity and networking with other NATO air defense systems, the statement continued.
This is intended, among other things, for the Bundeswehr to fulfill its role in the defense alliance's European Sky Shield Initiative.
This is an initiative for European air defense initiated by Germany.
New air defense system: Rheinmetall, Diehl and Hensoldt build “Project LVS NNbS”
In order to set up the LVS NNbS project together, the three German defense companies Rheinmetall Electronics, Diehl Defense and Hensoldt Sensors are forming a working group, or ARGE for short - and thus pooling their complementary core competencies.
“The aim of the three German companies is to provide a quickly available, national and low-risk solution using market-available systems and system components,” according to a statement.
It goes on to say that tried-and-tested systems and subsystems are used and components that are already in use by the Bundeswehr are integrated.
According to the current planning status, the prototypes should be qualified from 2027 in order to enable series production from 2028.
Rheinmetall estimates the cost of the project at around 1.2 billion euros.
A corresponding development order was signed on January 25th, the defense company continued.
The growing importance of this type of weapon in the Ukraine war shows how important such a “drone killer” is.