Northrop Grumman, MBDA Sign Air & Missile Defence MoU

Kenn Todorov, vice president and general manager, command and control and weapons integration, Northrop Grumman and Guido Brendler, senior vice president sales and business development Germany and member of the board, MBDA in Germany, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on enhancing German air and missile defense capabilities during the Berlin Security Conference on November 18 | Photo: MBDA Deutschland

Northrop Grumman and MBDA Deutschland have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate on air and missile defence systems, the companies announced during the Berlin Security Conference. The agreement will focus on exploring how their respective technologies could be applied to Germany’s integrated air and missile defence requirements.

According to the companies, the cooperation will include technical exchanges and possible demonstrations to assess the compatibility of systems such as Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) and MBDA’s ARANEUS system. Both firms said the arrangement is intended to identify potential areas for joint work on German and NATO air defence needs.

Kenn Todorov, vice president and general manager for command and control and weapons integration at Northrop Grumman, said, “Northrop Grumman is dedicated to collaborating with our industrial partners to create innovative, sovereign solutions that improve the performance and effectiveness of both current and future integrated air and missile defense systems. A connected battlespace across Germany and its European allies, supported by advanced command and control technologies like IBCS, is essential for deterring and countering aggression. This connectivity is further enhanced by collaborative efforts within the defense industry, such as the opportunities we will explore with MBDA in Germany.”

Thomas Gottschild, executive group director for strategy and managing director of MBDA Deutschland, said, “The MoU is of great importance for industrial cooperation between the United States and Germany. We are evaluating the capabilities and strengths of our companies to investigate possible integrated solutions for the German armed forces air defence systems. It is our combined goal to strengthen air defence in Germany and NATO partner nations to enable joint operations.”

IBCS is currently in full-rate production and has been fielded in Poland. Northrop Grumman said the system is scheduled for deployment within U.S. European and Indo-Pacific commands as part of the U.S. Army’s air and missile defence modernisation program.