Comprehensive Fabrication, Integration and Test Facility

Diehl Defence has established a new integration and test centre for modern ground-based air defence systems (GBADS) at its Röthenbach facility near Nürnberg, the company announced on 28 July.

It is the first fabrication facility for complete systems in Germany and an expansion of national skills in the engagement of airborne threats. System components – radar equipment, combat centre and missile launcher – are tested, installed on platforms and subsequently put into operation in a system network contained in a 3.4ha campus, from which customer delivery is managed. The new centre disposes of a fully-equipped integration building, comprising a heavy load ceiling crane and nine fully-networked truck parking spaces as well as an additional ten networked parking spaces in a special truck port for continuous flow of materials. In the centre of the circular test area, a 38t cargo lift is located outside, enabling completely equipped radar vehicles or other sensors to have unhindered 360° visibility at a height of eight metres.

With this major investment, Diehl Group sets course for significant expansion in the air defence field. At full capacity, up to four firing units, with a maximum five launchers each, plus radar and fire-control radar can be completed per year. A large number of new workstations have been created in the shielded security control zone. First deliveries for an export customer are already anticipated for this year. Launchers for the secondary missile for the Luftwaffe’s future Tactical Air Defence System (TLVS) are also scheduled to be delivered from Röthenbach.

Germany now has its own production line for GBADS and Diehl can also offer solutions which, if required, are based on third-party system components.