Diehl Defence and Lockheed Martin join forces for air defence for the Navy

Diehl Defence, a leading supplier for guided missiles and ground-based air defence systems, and Lockheed Martin, with its vast experience in integrated air and missile defence technologies, have entered into an agreement, covering the potential to combine both companies’ air defence capabilities for international surface combat vessel programs for navies around the world.

 On the occasion of this year’s Berlin Security Conference (BSC), Helmut Rauch, CEO of Diehl Defence, and Chandra Marshall, Vice President at Lockheed Martin, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during a ceremony at the conference’s venue.

 Helmut Rauch, CEO of Diehl Defence, 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. We are proud to intensify our collaboration with Lockheed Martin in the field of guided missiles and the air defence applications.”

 “This strategic collaboration continues to showcase the scalability and increased capacity of our programs, which bring next‑generation IAMD capability and 21st century security worldwide.”, said Chandra Marshall, Vice President at Lockheed Martin. “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 has a strong track record in the field of air defence systems, while Lockheed Martin has vast experience in the field of the Aegis Weapon System and related integrated air and missile defense technologies. Both capabilities combined can provide navies around the globe with a superior solution for protecting their fleets against threats from the air.

 Following the MoU, signed today by Diehl Defence and Lockheed Martin, both companies will explore in detail the possibility to integrate missiles of the IRIS-T family into the Aegis Weapon System and the MK41 Vertical Launching System.

 Diehl Defence and Lockheed Martin have previously cooperated on various projects. Most recently, both companies have signed an MoU regarding the cooperation on the global supply chain for missiles for the Patriot system. This successful track record will now be complemented by the maritime air defence project.