Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and MBDA Deutschland have signed a cooperation agreement for the production, integration, distribution, and marketing of IAI’s Loitering Munition systems in Germany. Loitering Munition is significant in terms of today’s and future operational scenarios. It can be deployed with high precision while avoiding unintended damage. It shortens response times and can therefore save lives in critical situations. MBDA is a leading company in Germany in the development, production, and maintenance of guided missiles, air defense systems, and effectors. IAI was the first company in the world to develop Loitering Munition four decades ago. The current IAI Loitering Munition portfolio includes the Harop, Harpy, Mini-Harpy, and Rotem systems. Together with MBDA Deutschland, IAI offers this Loitering Munition portfolio to the German Armed Forces in order to address capability gaps in the Air Force, Navy, and Army.
Boaz Levy, IAI’s CEO, said: “IAI is proud to collaborate with MBDA Germany in the field of Loitering Munition. This agreement allows us to combine the strengths of both companies. IAI is a global leader in the development of operational concepts for Loitering Munition systems. Loitering Munition has evolved into a family of unique and precise weapon systems. These systems have contributed to operational successes of armed forces worldwide and are essential and decisive components for future operational scenarios.
Thomas Gottschild, CEO of MBDA Germany, said: “We announced our partnership with IAI in 2021, and we are now delighted to continue this strategic partnership with this agreement. Not only the Ukraine conflict but also the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict have shown the importance of drones in combat operations. Our companies have agreed to collaborate in the preparation, production, marketing, and execution of all necessary work related to Loitering Munition for the benefit of our German customer, the Bundeswehr.
IAI delivers Loitering Munition worldwide and continues to expand its customer base. IAI is the world’s pioneer in developing and fielding various types of Loitering Munitions (LM) family. Recently, a significant contract for the purchase of IAI Loitering Munition by the Estonian Ministry of Defense was announced. The IAI Loitering Munition family includes the following systems:
- Harpy-NG, a third-generation system for the destruction of enemy radar installations.
- Harop, a second-generation electro-optical precision weapon system.
- Mini-Harpy, a tactical Loitering Munition system with triple sensors (electro-optical day and night sensors and an anti-radiation seeker).
- The Rotem family of tactical Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Loitering Munition systems.
MBDA Deutschland GmbH is a German missile systems company. Together with its 100% subsidiaries Bayern-Chemie and TDW and various Joint Ventures, it forms MBDA Germany. The company is a legally independent 100% subsidiary of MBDA which belongs to Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. In addition to the headquarters in Schrobenhausen, the company has sites in Ulm and Aschau am Inn. MBDA Germany is the leading missile systems company in Germany and part of the European MBDA Group.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is Israel’s major aerospace and aviation manufacturer, producing aerial and astronautic systems for both military and civilian usage. It has 15,000 employees as of 2018. IAI is completely state-owned by the government of Israel.IAI designs, develops, produces and maintains civil aircraft, drones, fighter aircraft, missile, avionics, and space-based systems. Many of these products are specially suited for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) needs, while others are also marketed to foreign militaries.
