Rheinmetall

The TWZ Newsletter

Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.

German defense giant Rheinmetall has demonstrated its new FV-014 loitering munition being launched from a containerized launcher mounted on a truck, including while the vehicle was moving. The test marks the first time the FV-014 has been fired from its Containerized Missile Launcher, a modular system intended to carry significant numbers of missiles or loitering munitions.

The demonstration took place in July at the National Test Center for Unmanned Aerial Systems at the German Aerospace Center in Cochstedt, Saxony-Anhalt. The customer demonstration included both stationary and mobile launches from an HX-series truck, followed by simulated operational profiles and attack flights.

Rheinmetall demonstrates FV-014 launch from Containerized Missile Launcher

The FV-014 is a relatively long-range, truck-launched loitering munition that can perform its own reconnaissance and then conduct a precision attack. Rheinmetall says the weapon has a range of up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) and can remain airborne for as long as 70 minutes.

Like many loitering munitions, this endurance gives the operator considerably more time to search for targets and decide whether to conduct an attack than would be available with a conventional fire-and-forget missile. Rheinmetall describes the system as combining “reconnaissance, target identification and precision strike capabilities within a single system.”

The FV-014 is designed to remain under permanent human control. An operator using the associated ground station can identify and track targets and authorize an attack, while also having the ability to abort an engagement if circumstances change.

As we have discussed in the past, human-in-the-loop architecture is useful when operating against targets that may be moving or difficult to identify in advance.

However, the concept also has significant drawbacks compared to increasingly autonomous loitering-munition concepts in which the system itself can perform much more of the target-detection and engagement process. Human-in-the-loop comes with latency and communications dependencies, as well as operator workload, but it may also be the result of a particular customer demand, whether operational or legal. At the same time, for all its promise, autonomous technology is still in its infancy.

The FV-014 has a launch weight of around 50 pounds, including a payload of approximately 13 pounds. Its HEDP, or high-explosive dual-purpose, warhead is claimed to be capable of penetrating around 24 inches of solid armor steel.

That would give the weapon a substantial anti-armor capability for its size, although Rheinmetall also says the warhead can be used against unarmored targets and infrastructure.

After being ejected from its launch tube using a booster, the FV-014 unfolds its wings and transitions into aerodynamic flight. An electrically driven propeller provides propulsion during the cruise phase. Rheinmetall also says the weapon has been designed with reduced radar and infrared signatures in mind.

The company is pitching the FV-014 for both individual attacks and coordinated swarm operations. In the latter case, multiple weapons could be used simultaneously against a number of targets or to overwhelm an adversary’s defenses and create outsized, rapid effects on the battlefield.

‘Swarm’ has become something of a catch-all term in the loitering-munition market, however, and Rheinmetall has not provided detailed information about the level of autonomy or coordination available between FV-014s. The company does say that the weapon has network connectivity and a “high degree of autonomy” intended to help it operate in environments where satellite navigation is being disrupted.

This capability is particularly important on the modern battlefield, where electronic warfare systems are routinely used to interfere with satellite-navigation signals. Rheinmetall says the FV-014 is resilient to global navigation satellite system (GNSS) interference, although specific details about its navigation architecture have not been disclosed.

The weapon’s launch system, Rheinmetall’s Containerized Missile Launcher, is built around a standardized ISO container that can be installed on a fixed site, carried by a truck, or potentially integrated onto a ship. In its 20-foot configuration, the company says the launcher can accommodate up to 18 FV-014s.

That is considerably fewer weapons than some other containerized drone-launcher concepts Rheinmetall has previously promoted. In 2024, for example, the company showed a containerized system intended to carry as many as 126 Hero-series loitering munitions from Israeli manufacturer UVision.

Rather than simply acting as a large rack of launch tubes, the new launch system has its own integrated power supply and can connect to command, control, communications, computers and intelligence networks. It can also be operated locally, through a radio link, or via satellite communications.

The launcher is intended to make extensive use of commercial off-the-shelf components, which should reduce lifecycle costs. It also incorporates what the company calls a “sleeper” capability, allowing the launcher to remain inactive and be remotely activated when required.

The ability to move the entire system on a standard military truck is potentially significant. Rheinmetall has demonstrated the launch of FV-014s from a moving truck, as well as a stationary one. Shooting on the move could be beneficial when defending convoys, engaging targets of opportunity, or offering rapid fire support to units within range. Beyond that, interceptor drones would allow for engagements against drone threats while on the move.

Using a standardized container makes it possible to rapidly relocate a large number of long-range loitering munitions without relying on a dedicated launcher vehicle, and also opens up potential maritime applications. Rheinmetall says future versions are planned for other mobile land platforms and seagoing ones, while the container itself is compatible with existing transportation and logistics infrastructure.

This general concept is already seeing considerable uptake. Containerized launchers provide a relatively discreet way of deploying large numbers of missiles or drones and can potentially turn trucks, ships, or other platforms capable of carrying ISO containers into weapons carriers. TWZ has previously examined the broader appeal of this approach, including Rheinmetall’s earlier Hero-family launcher concept.

In the past, we have also highlighted the immense potential battlefield impact of this type of capability, which other countries, especially China, are also actively pursuing.

The video below shows a test of a Chinese truck-mounted launcher design capable of being loaded with up to 48 kamikaze drones. 

中国电科陆空协同固定翼无人机“蜂群”系统

In general, containerized launchers offer an unusual degree of concealability: a weapons system housed in a standard shipping container can potentially be moved through conventional logistics networks and deployed without the distinctive appearance of a dedicated missile battery. Rheinmetall has explicitly pitched the standardized container format as supporting “covert operations,” and this immediately calls to mind Ukraine’s audacious Operation Spiderweb that saw several Russian bombers and other aircraft destroyed or damaged by (much shorter-range) drones launched from trucks.

Rheinmetall has not disclosed details about the customer involved in the July demonstration, nor of the targets used, the engagement distances, the number of FV-014s launched, or the extent of autonomy involved in reported swarm operations.

However, with the FV-014 now proven, Rheinmetall can offer a complete system in which a truck can arrive with a sizeable magazine of relatively long-range weapons, launch them individually or in groups, and provide operators with the ability to search for targets before deciding whether to attack. The German company’s mobile containerized launcher and a 100-kilometer-class loitering munition are eye-catching, but the system also enters an increasingly competitive market.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

Source link

German defense contractor Rheinmetall has unveiled the GMF 140, a new 140-meter guided-missile frigate aimed at NATO and allied navies seeking a next-generation surface combatant with integrated air and missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, and long-range strike capabilities. Better known for armored vehicles, artillery, air defense systems, ammunition, as well as naval munitions and electronics, the new warship marks Rheinmetall’s entry into an entirely new segment of the defense market.

The 6,000-ton-plus vessel is being positioned for export, with Rheinmetall planning to offer the design “initially as part of a procurement project in North America” before pursuing opportunities with other allied navies.

Designed for operations in contested maritime environments, the GMF 140 combines area air defense, ballistic missile defense (BMD), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and strike capabilities in a single platform optimized for blue-water operations while retaining the flexibility to support expeditionary, littoral, and coalition missions.

“The GMF 140 has been specifically developed for the requirements of NATO and allied navies seeking a highly capable, affordable, and interoperable next-generation surface combatant,” Rheinmetall said in a statement.

A key feature of the design is its integration of U.S.-sourced combat systems and sensors. Rheinmetall says the frigate is designed around the AEGIS combat system and can accommodate multiple U.S.-sourced radar options capable of detecting, tracking, and engaging conventional air threats, hypersonic weapons, and ballistic missiles.

For customers seeking an alternative combat management architecture, the company says the GMF 140 can also be configured with Lockheed Martin’s CMS330 combat management system, providing an open and scalable architecture capable of integrating both U.S. and European sensors and weapons.

The ship is equipped with 64 strike-length Mk 41 vertical launch system (VLS) cells, allowing it to employ a wide range of air defense, ballistic missile defense, and land-attack missiles. For air defense, for example, 64 VLS cells would give the option of up to 256 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, which come in quad packs, although a typical load-out would provide a far more balanced inventory of larger, longer-reaching anti-air missile and strike weapons, such as the Tomahawk cruise missile and Standard family of surface-to-air missiles.

Additional armament includes anti-ship missiles, torpedo launchers, a 5-inch (127mm) main gun, laser weapon systems, close-in weapon systems (CIWS), and secondary guns. In the concept artwork, the warship appears to have a U.S. Navy-standard Mk 45 main gun, as well as a SeaRAM CIWS mounted fore and aft, again in line with a pitch to the North American market.

Rheinmetall says the ship incorporates a low-signature hull, integrated acoustic management measures, hull-mounted and towed sonar systems, and facilities to support embarked helicopters and uncrewed systems from either U.S. or European suppliers.

The company says the design is intended to address growing demand from navies modernizing their fleets in response to evolving security challenges in Europe, the North Atlantic, and the Indo-Pacific. It also comes with a small crew complement for its size: each vessel will have a core crew of just 90, with the option to add another 35 if and when required.

The new frigate’s wave-piercing bow is somewhat reminiscent of that seen on the smaller French Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI), or defense and intervention frigate. The bow of that vessel, which gives an appearance approaching that of a reverse bow, or inverted bow, is something we have discussed in the past. Both warships also have a dramatic chine that extends from the bow along the entire hull line.

The GMF 140 is approximately 460 feet long and has a displacement of more than 6,600 tons.

This puts it at the upper end of the modern frigate category, close to the boundary between a large frigate and a small destroyer. Its displacement should provide the volume and electrical power margins needed to support large radar arrays, future directed-energy weapons, additional electronic warfare systems, and growth in computing capacity. This capacity is especially important as navies adapt toward integrated air and missile defense against increasingly complex threats, including hypersonic weapons and ballistic missiles.

In terms of size and capability, the GMF 140 sits squarely in the same category as the now-canceled U.S. Constellation class frigate, British Type 26, and the Franco-Italian FREMM, but with a different emphasis.

While the Type 26 was primarily designed around anti-submarine warfare and the FREMM family has evolved into multiple variants optimized for either ASW or general-purpose missions, the GMF 140 has been conceived from the outset as a fully integrated air and missile defense combatant capable of contributing to fleet-level ballistic missile defense while retaining robust ASW and long-range strike capabilities.

It is also notable that, rather than relying on proprietary national systems, Rheinmetall has built the GMF 140 around widely fielded U.S. and NATO technologies, including AEGIS, U.S.-sourced radar options, and the Mk 41 VLS. That approach reduces integration risk for navies already operating U.S.-made weapons and sensors while also improving interoperability during coalition operations.

The GMF 140 design reflects a broader trend among NATO navies toward heavily armed, multi-mission frigates that increasingly blur the traditional distinction between frigates and destroyers, at least in terms of missions. Rather than serving primarily as escorts, these ships are expected to provide area air defense, contribute to integrated missile defense networks, prosecute submarines, and deliver long-range precision strikes as part of distributed maritime operations.

While Rheinmetall is positioning the GMF 140 for the export market rather than domestic procurement, it should be noted that the German Navy recently canceled its planned F126 frigates, which, at 545 feet long and with a displacement of up to 11,000 tons, would have been physically the biggest surface warships to join the German Navy since World War II. You can read more about this ambitious program here.

Instead, Germany opted for a smaller, lower-risk design optimized for anti-submarine warfare, and based on the proven A-200 frigate design from the German shipbuilder TKMS. This will be known as the F128.

Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 represents a different answer to that challenge. Rather than trading capability for affordability, it aims to deliver a heavily armed, highly interoperable frigate with robust integrated air and missile defense, long-range strike, and anti-submarine warfare capabilities in a single platform.

At the same time, the GMF 140 also marks a significant departure for Rheinmetall. While the company has long been a major supplier of naval weapons, sensors, ammunition, and mission systems, it has not previously competed as a prime contractor for a major surface combatant. As Rheinmetall’s first attempt to enter a highly competitive global market with a complete warship design, this necessarily comes with a degree of risk attached for any potential buyers.

There is also the question about where these vessels would be built. Earlier this year, Rheinmetall acquired Naval Vessels Lürssen, which includes various German shipyards, of which Blohm+Voss in Hamburg would be the most likely candidate, having a long history of building surface combatants.

Rheinmetall’s reference to a procurement project in North America is interesting, pointing to either Canada or the United States.

As it stands, Canada has already selected the River class destroyer (based on the Type 26), so Rheinmetall would be relying here on a future tranche or a follow-on requirement.

In the United States, the Constellation class frigate program was terminated last year, and it was announced that the National Security Cutter design will serve as the basis of a new U.S. Navy frigate program that is named FF(X). Introducing an entirely new design into that program would seem highly unlikely, but the appearance of the GMF 140 does suggest that Rheinmetall has identified a gap in the market between the new FF(X) and the Arleigh Burke class destroyer, with a VLS capacity and level of capability matching that.

As allied navies weigh the balance between capability, cost, and procurement risk over the coming decade, it will be interesting to see whether more navies also move toward a more affordable, lower-risk frigate, as Germany has done, or bigger designs like the GMF 140 that seek to retain destroyer-like capabilities in a frigate-sized hull.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

The post German Defense Giant Rheinmetall Enters The Frigate Market appeared first on TWZ.

Source link