German Defense Contractors Unveil High-Energy Laser System for Naval Self-Defense

Rheinmetall and MBDA Deutschland plan to establish a joint venture focused on high-energy laser weapons, formalizing a cooperation that has been running since 2019. The new company is expected to be set up in the first quarter of 2026 as a German limited liability company (GmbH). According to AeroTime, the partners have brought their German naval laser concept close to ‘market readiness’ after a development and trial campaign. This move follows a successful one-year trial phase aboard the German Navy frigate Sachsen, logging more than 100 firing tests under operational conditions. Rheinmetall has pointed to 2029 as a plausible in-service horizon for a fully operational system.