Armed forces of Germany want to order a total of 8 to 10 units of MEADS air defense missile system 12806152

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Defence & Security News - Germany
 
Armed forces of Germany want to order a total of 8 to 10 units of MEADS air defense missile system.
The German armed forces want to order a total of 8 and 10 units of the MEADS air defense missile systems for the time being, the managing director of manufacturer MBDA Deutschland GmbH said on Thursday, June 25, 2015.
     
The German armed forces want to order a total of 8 and 10 units of the MEADS air defense missile systems for the time being, the managing director of manufacturer MBDA Deutschland GmbH said on Thursday, June 25, 2015. The MEADS air defense missile system is manufactured by the European defense group MBDA and Lockheed Martin Corp.
     
Thomas Homberg said the number of units that would ultimately be delivered was an "integral part of the talks and negotiations ahead of us".
 

A spokesman for the German defence ministry said: "The exact number of MEADS that will be procured will be the object of contract negotiations".

Germany said this month it would buy the MEADS system from Europe's MBDA and Lockheed Martin Corp instead of an updated Patriot system offered by Raytheon Co, but said the companies would have to meet demanding performance milestones to retain the contract.

Homberg said the decision gave MBDA planning security and he was "firmly convinced" that many countries in Europe and beyond would be interested in MEADS, adding that talks with some of them were already underway.

The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) has been developed to International Common Operational Requirements to provide system capabilities not met by fielded air and missile defense systems.

MEADS incorporates the advanced hit-to-kill PAC-3 MSE missile, surveillance and fire control sensors, battle management/communication centers, and high-firepower launchers. It combines superior battlefield protection with unprecedented flexibility that allows it to protect maneuver forces and to provide homeland defense.

Unlike Patriot, or any other deployed system, the mobile air defense system will be able to destroy all incoming tactical or medium-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, or aircraft as well as weapons of mass destruction. MEADS provides vastly greater firepower, combat-proven hit-to-kill technology, 360-degree radar coverage, and a plug-and-fight battle management network architecture.