DSEI 2025: Rheinmetall teams with U.S. Lockheed Martin to develop next generation tank destroyer vehicle.

On September 9, 2025, during DSEI 2025, a defense exhibition in London, UK, the German company Rheinmetall unveiled a first-of-its-kind mobile missile destroyer developed in partnership with Lockheed Martin. Known as the Fuchs JAGM (Joint Air-to-Ground Missile), the system integrates a full suite of U.S.-designed precision missiles into Rheinmetall’s modernized 6x6 Fuchs Evolution armored vehicle. Designed to conduct precision strikes against both ground and aerial threats, this hybrid solution brings multi-domain engagement capabilities into a tactical wheeled platform for the first time.
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The Fuchs JAGM, a new missile tank destroyer developed by German Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin from U.S., features a 24-cell vertical launch system capable of firing JAGM and Longbow HELLFIRE missiles against ground and aerial targets. Unveiled at DSEI 2025, the platform is based on the upgraded Fuchs Evolution 6x6 armored vehicle. (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)

The Fuchs JAGM (Joint Air-to-Ground Missile) mounts 24 vertically launched missiles capable of engaging targets at long range with no need to reload between salvos. The system supports both the AGM-179 JAGM and the AGM-114L HELLFIRE Longbow, enabling operational flexibility across threat domains. The Fuchs JAGM can engage main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, low-flying rotary-wing aircraft, drones, radar stations, mobile artillery, bunkers, and lightly armored naval assets, all from a mobile, networked platform.

The AGM-179 JAGM is a U.S.-manufactured, multi-mode, precision strike missile developed as a successor to both the AGM-114 HELLFIRE and the AGM-65 Maverick. It incorporates a dual-mode guidance system that fuses semi-active laser (SAL) tracking with fire-and-forget millimeter wave radar (MMW), giving it high accuracy against both moving and stationary targets in all weather and visibility conditions. The warhead features a tandem shaped-charge with fragmentation capability, allowing it to penetrate reactive armor and deliver lethal blast effects against both soft and hard targets. JAGM is designed for air-to-surface use from helicopters and drones, but in this configuration it is ground-launched, extending its utility into mobile land warfare. The missile has a maximum effective range of 16 kilometers and has been combat-validated by U.S. forces across multiple environments.

The AGM-114L HELLFIRE Longbow is a radar-guided variant of the well-known HELLFIRE family, developed specifically for fire-and-forget capability. Unlike earlier versions that rely solely on laser designation, the Longbow variant uses active MMW radar homing, making it ideal for simultaneous target engagement and adverse weather operations. It is particularly effective against moving armored vehicles and low-flying aircraft, with a warhead optimized for anti-armor performance. When paired with vertical launch architecture, the missile provides high responsiveness and rapid switching between targets without requiring continuous line-of-sight or external target designation.

Both missile types are housed in a vertical launch module integrated into the rear compartment of the Fuchs Evolution, allowing for rapid sequential fire and multi-threat engagement from under armor protection. The missile module is supported by advanced sensor integration, enabling autonomous targeting and engagement cycles across air and land domains.

The launch platform itself, the Fuchs Evolution, represents the latest upgrade to Rheinmetall’s legacy TPz 1 Fuchs 6x6 armored personnel carrier, a platform operational in more than nine countries since its Cold War origins. The Evolution variant has undergone extensive modernization to meet 21st-century battlefield demands. It features a new powertrain with an improved drivetrain, anti-lock braking system (ABS), and a central tire inflation system (CTIS) for terrain adaptability. The vehicle is fully compliant with NATO’s Generic Vehicle Architecture (NGVA) standards, allowing plug-and-play integration of mission systems, sensors, and fire control.

The Evolution's digital backbone includes a next-generation electronic architecture for command, control, and diagnostics. Crew survivability is prioritized through upgraded ballistic protection and full CBRN shielding. The vehicle also features a larger internal volume to accommodate integrated systems such as the vertical missile module while maintaining space for crew operations and mission equipment. Integrated onboard diagnostics and interactive maintenance systems allow for simplified fleet management and high availability in operational theaters.

By combining long-range precision missile capabilities with an agile, protected wheeled platform, the Fuchs JAGM creates a new class of tactical vehicle: a mobile strike system capable of autonomous kill chains against both land and air targets. Unlike traditional anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) vehicles or short-range air defense systems, this configuration allows ground forces to conduct deep fires, execute ambushes against armor columns, and rapidly reposition in response to aerial threats, all without support from fixed launchers or air assets.

The unveiling of Rheinmetall / Lockheed Martin Fuchs JAGM the at DSEI 2025 is timely. NATO nations are rethinking force posture in response to renewed emphasis on peer conflict and contested mobility corridors. The Fuchs JAGM is likely to attract interest from countries seeking to counter heavy armor formations,

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.