Germany UK buy new rapid bridge from GDELS
Germany has ordered GDELS’s new Floating Rapid Bridge 2 in a joint deal with the UK to replace the ageing M3 system.
The amphibious, all-wheel-drive vehicles can quickly link together to form bridges or act as ferries, letting heavy armour like main battle tanks cross wide rivers without fixed infrastructure. The system is designed for fast deployment in combat or disaster relief and is interoperable with other NATO bridge fleets.
The contract, signed via OCCAR, supports the joint German British 130th Engineer Bridge Battalion in Minden. Germany’s share includes €53m in firm orders plus options and related agreements worth more than €400m approved by the Bundestag.
Rheinmetall to build €1bn artillery ammo plant in Bulgaria
Rheinmetall has signed a deal to build a new artillery ammunition factory in Bulgaria in a joint venture with local defence firm VMZ. The companies will invest around €1 billion, with Rheinmetall holding a 51% stake and VMZ 49%.
The site, near Sopot, will span roughly 100 hectares and create about 1,000 jobs. Once fully operational, it is expected to produce around 100,000 artillery shells and propellant charges for up to 150,000 shells per year, plus about 1,300 tonnes of propellant powder.
Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said the plant will strengthen the defence capacity of the EU and NATO.
Shell casing production is planned to start in 2027, with energetic materials following in 2028.
Diehl Defence to buy Tauber Group boost bomb disposal offering
Diehl Defence is acquiring the Tauber Group, a 700-person ordnance disposal and specialist engineering firm with €100m annual revenue. The deal, pending antitrust approval, will make Tauber a wholly owned Diehl subsidiary.
Tauber’s expertise in finding, defusing and disposing of unexploded munitions plus its civil engineering and munitions recycling work will let Diehl offer end-to-end munitions support, from production to disposal and storage.
Diehl said the move strengthens its ability to serve armed forces as a full-service provider. The companies already work together via their TD Services joint venture at Spreewerk Lübben.
German Navy laser weapon moves to next test phase
Rheinmetall and MBDA have handed over their ship-tested high-energy laser to Germany’s defence test centre after a year of trials on the frigate Sachsen.
The laser is designed to quickly and cheaply shoot down drones, swarms and small fast boats, and could later counter rockets and missiles. An operational system for the German Navy is planned from 2029.
MBDA handled tracking, control and combat system integration; Rheinmetall delivered the laser and ship integration. More than 100 live tests showed fast, accurate performance. Land trials will now focus on reliability and deployment tactics.