Home Europe German defense majors team for country’s Future Long-Range Indirect Fire System

German defense majors team for country’s Future Long-Range Indirect Fire System

Joint Fire Support Missile
Photo: MBDA Deutschland

German defense technology companies MBDA Deutschland, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH (ESG) have joined forces for work on the development of the German armed forces’ “Future Long-Range Indirect Fire System”.

The aim of the cooperation is the further expansion and implementation of the Joint Fire Support Missile (JFS-M) concept, which is proposed by MBDA for the German Armed Forces.

The new guided missile is to be used with the artillery rocket systems MARS II/MLRS-E from KMW in the Bundeswehr and other platforms. In addition, ESG’s existing command and weapon deployment system ADLER III is to be used.

The new indirect fire support capability will be employed as part of the German defense ministry’s plan to equip each of the three German Army divisions with an artillery regiment.

The Future Long-Range Indirect Fire System is being propsed as a means of augmenting or replacing current systems employed by German artillery, which includes the ageing Tampella 120mm mortar, the PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer, and the MARS-II multiple rocket launcher.

MBDA Deutschland says the JFS-M can be configured as required and used in the areas of effectiveness, reconnaissance, active and passive electronic combat and as a training variant. The guided missile can be used against targets at distances ranging from one to over 300 kilometers. In addition, the system will leverage technologies such as fail-safe GPS navigation, 3D flight planning and image-supported navigation sensors. Target engagement is supported by artificial intelligence for automated target recognition and identification.

Under the memorandum of understanding announced by the three companies, MBDA will be responsible for missile development, while KMW will be delivering a vehicle platform. ESG will adapt its ADLER command and control system, which has been used by German artillery for 25 years, to new user requirements.

Photo: MBDA Deutschland