Rheinmetall contracted to supply Bundeswehr’s future digitised tactical wide area network

Rheinmetall has been awarded a contract by the Bundeswehr to act as prime contractor in setting up its future integrated communication network known as the Tactical Wide Area Network for Land Based Operations (TaWAN LBO), the company announced on 4 February 2025.

The 10-year framework contract for the procurement of TaWAN LBO, which is worth several billion euros, was signed by representatives of the Federal Office for the Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) and Rheinmetall Electronics.

At the same time an initial order worth EUR 1.88 billion gross was placed under the framework contract to equip a division of the Bundeswehr. Delivery of this communications network will take place between the end of 2026 and the end of 2029.

“The core function of TaWAN LBO is to provide an open transport network for federated mission networking (FMN) based on a protected core network (PCN) to connect the forward tactical D-LBO networks to the rear-echelon core network CIR,” Rheinmetall explained,

Following the contracts awarded at the end of 2024 as part of the Bundeswehr’s Digitalised Land-Based Operations (D-LBO) programme, TaWAN LBO will be a further milestone for the end-to-end command capabilities of the armed forces. In connection with D-LBO, the TaWAN LBO network will ensure connectivity deep into the rear area at high data rates.

As part of the TaWAN LBO project Rheinmetall is also supplying protected HX 8×8 trucks from Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV), which serve as carrier vehicles for the large directional radio systems and are equipped with mobile, highly extendable antenna masts.

One of the vehicles will hold the mast system, while another will carry the 20-ft (6 m) functional container with workstations, servers and other equipment. RMMV will be delivering a total of 102 vehicles.

Other vehicle platforms are used in conjunction with smaller mobile extendable antenna masts (small directional radio system). A software-based directional radio management system is part of the overall solution, which will ensure the functionality of the directional radio system and can be used to plan and execute operations.

“We are thankful for the great trust that the Bundeswehr is placing in us regarding its ambitious digitalisation efforts,” Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger was quoted as saying in a company press release. “Now that the Bundeswehr will be receiving TaWAN LBO and D-LBO from a single source, the conditions for a synchronised co-ordination concerning the introduction of both systems are given. It is our ambition to provide the Bundeswehr with a seamless and reliable communication network within the given timeframe – one that can be considered a flagship of digitalisation in Germany.”