Lockheed Martin and Diehl Defence are joining forces to explore opportunities for integrating their air defence systems into surface combat vessels for navies of various countries.
The companies formalised this partnership through a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which was signed by Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch and Lockheed Martin vice president Chandra Marshall at the Berlin Security Conference.
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Under the MoU, both companies intend to evaluate the incorporation of the IRIS-T missile system into the Aegis Weapon System as well as the MK41 and MK70 vertical launching systems.
This initiative would mark the first instance of a European-manufactured missile being incorporated into the Aegis combat system, Lockheed Martin said.
The IRIS-T system is an infra-red imaging guided air-to-air missile produced by Diehl BGT Defence under a multinational initiative led by Germany.
It is intended by its developers as a replacement for the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile in use among NATO members.
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By GlobalDataThe Aegis Weapon System provided by Lockheed Martin is a centralised, automated command-and-control platform designed to bring together detection and weapons control for coordinated defence capabilities.
Chandra Marshall said: “This strategic collaboration continues to showcase the scalability and increased capacity of our programmes, which bring next‑generation integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) capability and 21st century security worldwide.
“We have partnered with German industry for more than five decades, and we are proud to deepen our relationships by working with leading innovators such as Diehl Defence.”
Diehl Defence and Lockheed Martin have previously collaborated on several projects, most recently signing an MoU involving global supply chain cooperation related to missiles for the Patriot system.
In 2019, the two companies were involved in a partnership with Sweden’s Saab to supply the Falcon air defence weapon system, which is intended to engage short- and medium-range aerial threats.
The latest agreement extends their cooperation into the maritime domain. Helmut Rauch said: “With Diehl Defence and Lockheed Martin linking up their expertise and capabilities, navies around the globe can benefit from the optimum for air defence systems on their surface combat vessels.”
