Saab has received an order from its German partner Diehl Defence for the RBS15 anti-ship missile for provision to the German Navy. This order is part of a framework agreement between Saab and Diehl Defence, where Saab’s share is up to approximately 1.5 BSEK. The agreement allows orders to be placed until the end of 2024. The order value is approximately 1.7 BSEK with deliveries between 2022 and 2026. The RBS15 missiles and launcher systems provided in this order will be placed on the German Navy’s Braunschweig Class Corvettes. In addition to the missile systems, the order also includes associated equipment and services. The German Navy has been a user of RBS15 since 2011.
The new contract award is a sign of confidence from the German Navy and government authorities toward Diehl Defence and its strategic cooperation with Saab in the field of modern weapon systems destined for the Navy”, added Helmut Rauch, CEO and President of the Corporate Division Board of Diehl Defence.
“We are proud to continue to support the German Navy with additional RBS15 systems. This framework agreement is an important milestone in our long-standing cooperation with Diehl Defence and our relation with Germany. We look forward to continue building our partnership and supporting the German Navy’s capability with our state-of-the art anti-ship missile systems”, says Micael Johansson, President and CEO of Saab.
The RBS-15 (Robotsystem 15) is a long-range fire-and-forget surface-to-surface and air-to-surface, anti-ship missile. The later version Mk. III has the ability to attack land targets as well. The missile was developed by the Swedish company Saab Bofors Dynamics. The Swedish Navy earlier made the RB 08 anti-ship missiles with the Halland-class destroyers in the early 1960s. RBS-15 provides naval operators with a long range all weather anti-ship and sea denial capability and is designed to overcome the challenges of the modern naval battlespace. Built for deployment on multiple platforms, the RBS15 missile system currently serves with the armed forces of several nations around the world.
The development of the RBS-15 Mk. III began in the mid-1990s. It is produced by Saab in co-operation with Diehl BGT Defence of Germany. Emphasis was put on increased range (due to larger fuel capacity and new fuel the range has been increased to some 200 km), improved accuracy (integrated GPS) and selectable priority targeting, which improved the weapon system’s flexibility. The Mk. III was selected for the German Navy’s Braunschweig-class corvettes. The missile comes with range over 200 km, with land attack capability. New warhead (increased penetration and insensitive munitions qualification) from TDW. There is only a ship launched version. Production started in 2004. New oval launch tubes instead of the old box type.
