Rheinmetall and MBDA bring German naval laser weapon closer to market readiness

Rheinmetall and the German arm of MBDA have transferred a laser demonstrator for the German Navy to the Laser Competence Centre at the Technical Centre for Weapons and Ammunition (WTD 91) in Meppen for further testing, Rheinmetall announced on 27 October 2025.

The move, which follows the successful completion of a one-year trial phase of the laser demonstrator at sea, brings the development of a German high-energy laser weapon for maritime use closer to market readiness. Rheinmetall has stated that an operational laser weapon could be available to the German Navy from 2029, providing a powerful and cost-effective addition to conventional missile systems.

“The containerised demonstrator has already been successfully tested several times over the course of a year under real operational conditions at sea on board the frigate Sachsen, proving the system’s robustness and performance,” Rheinmetall stated. “With the support of WTD 91 in Meppen, the laser container has now been put into operation for further land-based drone defence testing.”

Rheinmetall says the laser demonstrator has proved its ability “to precisely and effectively neutralise drones and other small, fast-moving targets”, adding that it “complements cannons and guided missiles, particularly for defence against drones and drone swarms, as well as for attacking speedboats and, if necessary, guided missiles in the closer and immediate vicinity”.

In future, the company said, the system “could also be equipped with greater capabilities and be used to destroy supersonic guided missiles and rockets, as well as mortar and artillery shells”.

Rheinmetall and MBDA have been working together on laser weapons since 2019, with the work divided near equally between the two companies. MBDA in Germany is responsible for target detection and tracking, the control console, and connecting the laser weapon demonstrator to the command-and-control system. Rheinmetall’s responsibilities, meanwhile, include the aiming system, beam guidance and the demonstrator container, as well as the mechanical and electrical integration of the demonstrator on the deck of Sachsen and, ultimately, the high-energy laser source, including its peripherals.

Rheinmetall added that the tests “proved the demonstrator’s tracking capability, effectiveness and precision under real operational conditions” and comprised over 100 live-firing trials and significantly more tracking trials.

Meanwhile, MBDA in the UK has been working with Leonardo UK, QinetiQ and the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to operationalise the UK’s developmental DragonFire laser weapon. The UK Ministry of Defence announced in March 2025 that a fully funded plan was in place to mount the DragonFire system on four of the UK Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers, with the plan being to have them in place by 2027.