German defence contractors Rheinmetall and MBDA Germany have transferred a laser weapon demonstrator to the laser competence centre at the Technical Centre for Weapons and Ammunition (WTD 91) in Meppen, Germany, following the successful completion of a one-year trial phase at sea.
The containerised demonstrator was tested under real operational conditions aboard the German Navy frigate Sachsen. According to Rheinmetall, these tests, which included over 100 live-firing trials, proved the system’s robustness, performance, tracking capability, effectiveness, and precision in combating drones even without using land as a beam block.
With the support of WTD 91, the laser container has now been commissioned at the Meppen centre for further land-based drone defence testing.
The laser weapon system is designed to offer new capabilities against targets such as drones, drone swarms, and speedboats, complementing conventional cannons and guided missiles. Future capabilities could potentially include destroying supersonic guided missiles, rockets, and artillery shells.
Rheinmetall and MBDA have been collaborating on high-energy laser effectors since 2019. MBDA Germany is responsible for target detection, tracking, the control console, and command-and-control system integration.
Rheinmetall handles the aiming system, beam guidance, the demonstrator container, integration onto the vessel, and the high-energy laser source.
Based on the progress, an operational laser weapon system could be available to the German Navy as early as 2029.
