06/14/2010

Force protection is our mission - Rheinmetall at Eurosatory 2010

In contemporary conflicts, our armed forces find themselves pitted against opponents whose modus operandi often seems irrational, with a strategy dedicated to producing maximum casualties among soldiers and civilians alike. Ambushes, improvised explosive devices, mortar and rocket fire, landmines and attacks by suicide bombers have emerged as the tactics of choice for militant non-state actors in a growing number of countries.

Achieving a successful outcome in peacekeeping and peace-enforcement missions demands an active presence on the ground throughout the area of operations. However, this often entails rubbing shoulders with the local population, providing the enemy with an opportunity to strike at extremely close quarters, often with impunity. Under these circumstances, the tactics and technology of force protection have to be continuously modified to meet the everchanging threat.

Rheinmetall Defence of Germany is one of the world's defence contractors that offers not only a full array of equipment for enhancing the mobility, reconnaissance capabilities, lethality and survivability of today's armed forces, but is also able to weld these into a single, comprehensive force protection concept. When it comes to protecting troops deployed in harm's way, Rheinmetall has made great strides in recent years, continuously expanding its product portfolio and knowledge base in the process. Here, an integrated, system-oriented approach to defending forward operating bases and critical infrastructure, combined with protected military vehicles, high-precision weaponry, advanced reconnaissance and networking technology, creates a viable protective shield for our soldiers. It is thus no exaggeration to say that force protection is our mission.

Protected Vehicle Systems

Modern military commitments impose numerous, highly complex requirements on tactical vehicle design. Potential threat scenarios range from high-intensity combat operations to international crisis management, compounded by the constant risk of asymmetric attack. Addressing this diverse set of threats requires a scalable, mission-oriented response. Rheinmetall Defence possesses an extensive portfolio of technologies for protecting military transport, command and mission-specific vehicles. The creation of Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH – a joint venture of Rheinmetall AG and MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG – brings together MAN's expertise in utility vehicle design with Rheinmetall's military-specific technological know-how. An expanding range of wheeled tactical vehicles and an unrivalled ability to integrate optimized protection concepts makes Rheinmetall Defence Europe's leading supplier of tracked and wheeled military vehicles alike in every weight class.

Defining the future of military mobility - Rheinmetall and MAN join forces in the wheeled vehicle sector

MBT Revolution - Rheinmetall's mission-oriented, modular upgrade package for main battle tanks

AMPV – A New Generation of Highly Protected Vehicles

New MAN heavy tactical recovery vehicle combines high off-road mobility and heavy-duty recovery capabilities

Wisent – a Class 4 protected command and mission-specific vehicle

Air Defence Systems

Air defence requirements have become much more complex in recent years, especially in the short- and very short-range spectrum. The trend today is toward unmanned air vehicles that are smaller, faster and more manoeuvrable. It takes an extremely effective close-range air defence system to bring one down. Protecting critical civilian infrastructure from the threat of terrorist attack has likewise become key policy priority. Rheinmetall Defence is one of the world's leading makers of sophisticated air defence systems. In gun- and guided missile-based systems alike, Rheinmetall Defence is the market leader – the world's only single-source supplier of fire control technology, guns, integrated guided missile launchers and Ahead ammunition. Moreover, no other company is able to offer C-RAM-capable air defence guns; coupled with Ahead technology, Rheinmetall's state-of-the-art automatic cannon are able to neutralize incoming rockets, artillery and mortar rounds, making a vital contribution to force protection.

Oerlikon Skyshield MOOTW/C-RAM system – Protecting forward operating bases and critical infrastructure from asymmetric threats

Weapons and Ammunition

Europe's foremost supplier of weapons and ammunition, Rheinmetall specializes in developing and manufacturing large- and medium-calibre weapon systems and ammunition families. The 120 mm main armament of the world's most effective main battle tank, the Leopard 2; the PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer; the MLG27 light naval gun; the MK30-2/ABM automatic cannon for the new Puma infantry fighting vehicle; and new generations of enhanced performance ammunition – these are just a few of the company's world-renown products. Nor is its expertise limited to hardware: Nitrochemie is the Rheinmetall Group's powder producer, specializing in the development and production of propelling charges. Rheinmetall also possesses globally leading expertise in the field of fuse technology. Furthermore, the company produces a comprehensive range of lethal and non-lethal 40mm infantry ammunition.

Infantry: The decisive factor in modern warfare

Germany's SMArt 155 sensor-fused artillery ammunition stops vehicles on the move

Weapon Stations and Turrets

Tasked with a wide array of new missions, 21st century armed forces need vehicles that are well protected, highly mobile and universally deployable. Flexible and easy to integrate, today's high-tech turret systems and weapon stations are an excellent means of enhancing the combat effectiveness of a variety of vehicles, enabling troops to engage the enemy from the safety of the armoured fighting compartment. Multi-mission-capable and extensively digitized, Rheinmetall Defence turret systems and weapon stations combine modular design with excellent protection. Moreover, thanks to their modular architecture, and the wide selection of weapon and sensor systems now available, they lend themselves to a wide array of missions, and can be readily integrated into practically any tracked or wheeled tactical vehicle.

Rheinmetall's medium-calibre LANCE turret system gives Boxer added punch

Reconnaissance Systems

New technologies have turned reconnaissance and information into critical factors in every military operation, with information superiority often determining the outcome. The availability of ground-based and airborne reconnaissance assets – fully integrated into the digital command and control loop – gives battlefield commanders a huge edge. Rheinmetall Defence has developed reconnaissance and sensor systems for every conceivable type of military or security surveillance and monitoring mission, including target acquisition. The product range extends from laser light modules for pistols to 360° situational awareness systems to compact digital fire control units. They invariably meet the twin criteria of user-friendly operation and high efficiency. Individual sensors can be mixed and matched, and integrated into vehicles of all types.

The LLM 01 laser light module – high-precision target acquisition in virtually all conditions

Command and Control Systems

Longstanding experience in planning, customizing and integrating command and control systems has made Rheinmetall Defence a global leader in the field of battle management technology. The company supplies software and hardware solutions for every echelon from brigade-level tactical operations centres to individual soldiers on the ground. Rheinmetall Defence software solutions are based on the Multilateral Interoperability Programme (MIP), and thus optimized for use in joint and coalition operations, with none of the compatibility problems normally associated with proprietary systems. Our rugged hardware meets the most rigorous military standards, and has been tried and tested in military operations and exercises worldwide. Rheinmetall's NECLab is a fully functional, in-house system for testing network-enabled capabilities in a complex, highly realistic experimental environment.

Future Soldier IdZ-ES in Paris: a trail-blazing infantry system for the Bundeswehr

Keeping on top of the situation in the digital age: Rheinmetall's battle management systems