EADS subsidiary Cassidian and Germany’s Rheinmetall Defence are teaming to pursue Rheinmetall’s unmanned aerial systems programs, according to joint company statement issued recently.
Rheinmetall expects the teaming to improve opportunities for the development of its airborne systems product unit and secure sustainable long-term prospects for it, according to the statement. For Cassidian, joining with Rheinmetall will supplement its unmanned aerial systems platform.
“As Europe’s leading provider of unmanned aerial systems, we see this as a logical step towards expanding our present UAS offerings,” Cassidian CEO Stefan Zoller said in the statement.
Likewise, Klaus Eberhardt, chairman of the board for Rheinmetall Defence’s parent company, Rheinmetall AG, said the teaming will provide a boost to its companies unmanned airborne unit.
“Our goal is to strengthen the airborne systems product unit in a sustained way, providing it with new opportunities for marketing its state-of-the-art products for years to come,” Eberhardt said in the statement.
The statement said Cassidian will hold a controlling 51 percent stake in the venture while Rheinmetall will hold 49 percent. The ownership interests will be assigned in mid-2012 once necessary authorizations and antitrust approvals take place, according to the statement. One hurdle is approval by Germany’s anti-trust authority, according to Cassidian spokesman Theo Benien.
The joint venture will continue to manufacture the unmanned reconnaissance system KZO, which is one of the world’s most advanced UAS and renders services to the German armed forces, according to the statement. Work on the Heron UAS is part of the System for Imagery Reconnaissance Deep in the Area of Operations (SAATEG), which enables the German military to use long-range unmanned reconnaissance systems for the first time, according to the statement.
The joint venture will also play a part in the production of the passenger airliner A380 by providing Rheinmetall’s cargo loading system in the lower deck, according to the statement.