In the coming years, laser weapons for the Bundeswehr to defend against attacking drones are to be developed in Schrobenhausen in Upper Bavaria. The lasers currently have a range of one kilometer, which should now be increased to up to five kilometers, said representatives of the armaments company MBDA Germany.
Bavaria’s Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Roland Weigert (free voters) informed himself in Schrobenhausen about the status of the development of high-energy weapons. Defense technology is an “indispensable industry” for the Free State, said Weigert. The state government will therefore continue to work consistently for these companies.
MBDA employs around 1000 people in Schrobenhausen. The laser technology is being developed there on behalf of the German Armed Forces, but will probably later also be used by the police or to secure civilian facilities such as airports
In the summer, the Bundeswehr used a demonstration weapon for drone defense for the first time on a frigate. The laser was jointly developed by MBDA and the defense company Rheinmetall. In the future there will also be portable laser weapons that can be used to fight stationary targets, for example to open military fences. The anti-drone weapons are to be designed in such a way that they can be transported either on vehicles or ships.
MBDA laser expert Doris Laarmann said that defending against drones is about the laser beam destroying the target within about three seconds. It must be aimed very precisely, so that not only heat is generated. “It’s about staying on point,” she said.
Company page on laser technology
