Lockheed Martin [LMT] has partnered with MBDA Deutschland to develop integrated air and missile defense systems for the German armed forces.
The joint venture between Lockheed Martin and MBDA, a group jointly owned by Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo will become the prime contractor for the new system, called TLVS, based on Lockheed Martin’s medium extended air defense system (MEADS).
TLVS is a German acronym for Taktisches Luftverteidigungssystem, or “tactical air defense system.” The German Bundeswehr chose MEADS as the basis for TLVS in in 2015 and is interoperable with other NATO missile defense systems.
The program is given a leg up by the $4 billion in trilateral MEADS investment already made by the United States, Germany and Italy.) Germany also operates the Patriot missile defense system.
“We have partnered with MBDA Germany to bring air and missile defense solutions to life for more than 15 years. This joint venture takes our partnership to the next level, and we are excited about the possibility of delivering modern missile defense technology that will help Germany defeat current and future threats,” Frank St. John, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said. “We support Germany’s role as the lead framework nation for air and missile defense for NATO and believe the MEADS-based TLVS system is the next-generation solution that will provide the long overdue 360-degree, mobile air and missile defense coverage they need to accurately identify and defeat threats.”
Gregory Kee of Lockheed Martin and Dietmar Thelen, representing MBDA, will lead the company from the MBDA Deutschland office in Schrobenhausen, Germany. The company will also have operations in Dallas, Texas; Huntsville, Alabama; and Syracuse, New York and in Ulm and Koblenz, Germany. Kee and Thelen both have extensive backgrounds with the armed forces, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and defense procurement organizations and have a strong experience in military, industrial and international affairs.
“With this joint venture, we will have the agility and ability to successfully make timely decisions in an integrated fashion. We will also have direct access to the most advanced test and simulation facilities and the pooled expertise and resources of MBDA and Lockheed Martin. That’s how we’ll bring this important defense program to fruition for Germany and NATO,” said Thomas Gottschild, managing director of MBDA Germany. “We feel responsible and committed to support the German Armed Forces, namely the German Air Force, in establishing its next generation integrated air and missile defense system.”