Lockheed Martin, a U.S.-based company with experience in integrated air and missile defense technologies, and Diehl Defence, a German-based supplier for guided missiles and ground-based air defense systems, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore combining both companies’ air defense capabilities for international surface combat vessel programs for navies around the world.
Specifically, the companies are set to explore the possibility of integrating missiles of the IRIS-T family into the Aegis Weapon System and the MK41 and MK70 Vertical Launching System. As claimed, integrating the IRIS‑T family into Aegis would be the first European missile ever integrated into the combat system.
Chandra Marshall, Vice President at Lockheed Martin, commented: “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. 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.”
Helmut Rauch, CEO of Diehl Defence, stated: “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.”
To note, Lockheed Martin and Diehl Defence have previously cooperated on various projects. Most recently, the companies signed an MoU regarding cooperation on the global supply chain for missiles for the Patriot system.