Ulm, Germany, June 24, 2026 – In early June 2026, Michael Menges assumed the position of Vice President of Land Systems at Elbit Systems Deutschland. The 45-year-old is now responsible for the market positioning of numerous ground-based products offered to German customers by the Ulm-based systems integrator or its Israeli parent company.
Michael Menges gained his first experience in the military sector during his basic military service in the Signal Corps, which he followed with training to become a reserve noncommissioned officer and a reserve officer. As part of his reserve service, the current Major in the Reserve served, among other roles, as a company commander in the Home Guard, as an officer on the staff of Panzerbrigade 12 “Oberpfalz,” and during the 12th German ISAF deployment in Mazar-e-Sharif.
Michael Menges, a graduate in computer engineering, completed an interdisciplinary degree in electrical engineering and computer science. He began his career in the defense industry in 2008 as a technical trainee at Diehl Defense, where he was appointed project manager for autonomous land systems and training systems in 2009. In 2013, the Rhineland-Palatinate native was promoted to head of the Diehl office in India and has since also held civilian management responsibilities.
After holding several other senior positions in the defense and civilian industries—including operational responsibility for the decommissioning of nuclear power plants—Michael Menges has now been entrusted by Elbit Systems Deutschland with establishing the Land Division, based on his extensive experience in the army and land systems business.
“Having been responsible for personnel and equipment during exercises and operations, I have experienced firsthand what it means when equipment is unavailable or not operational. That is why I am convinced that Elbit Systems Deutschland’s products and technologies can make a difference for our soldiers,” Michael Menges said, explaining his motivation.
He continued: “My vision is to equip military units in Germany and Europe with a broad range of battle-proven, state-of-the-art systems. The focus here is not simply on importing products, but on closing capability gaps and building local production capacity so that we can scale up resiliently even in the event of war. To this end, it is important that my team and I understand the needs of our customers—whether they are OEMs, integrators, procurement agencies, or end users—so that we can work with them to deliver the best possible solution in each case.”
![[Photo © Elbit Systems]](https://euro-sd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Abb1_SkyStriker-1-218x150.jpg "Elbit Systems and Diehl Defence Form Strategic Partnership")