The German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has awarded Diehl Defence a 285 million euro contract for the delivery of additional RBS15 Mk3 missiles to the German Navy.
The contract for 160 heavy weight anti-ship missiles was awarded to the company on September 11, after the federal parliament previously approved 2.1 billion euros for defense expenditures.
Diehl Defence will be working with its partner Saab to start delivering the missiles in 2023. The companies first delivered the missiles in 2011 as main armament of the German K 130 corvettes.
As early as 2018, Diehl Defence was charged with the installation of the required ship systems for the second lot of corvettes.
Diehl Defence produces the missiles in cooperation with Saab at its company headquarters in Ueberlingen, Lake Constance and at its Maasberg plant located in Nonnweiler, Saarland, where final assembly and tests are carried out.
As a new-generation, long-range guided missile with active radar seeker and a combination of inertial and GPS-based navigation, the Mk3 missiles are not only able to engage ships from a distance but can also attack land targets.
In addition to the anti-ship missiles, Germany is investing in new IT systems and GBU-54 precision ammunition for Eurofighter aircraft. The GBU-54 consists of an unguided, Mk-82 series warhead (500–pound bomb body) and Boeing’s Laser JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) guidance kit which enables the weapon to be guided precisely to the target. Germany intends to buy 2,290 guidance kits and 910 bombs for around 213 million euro.
