Berlin, Germany. Airbus Defence and Space and Diehl Defence have signed an agreement with the objective to intensify their cooperation in the field of integrated air and missile defence (IAMD), based on both companies’ complementary technical capabilities. The agreement was signed on the occasion of the ongoing ILA Berlin Air Show 2026.
Both Airbus Defence and Space and Diehl Defence have a long and successful track record of joining forces for ground-based air defence (GBAD) systems, namely IRIS-T SLM: this medium-range system protects buildings, civilian infrastructure, and high-value targets from airborne threats. While Airbus Defence and Space contributes its combat-proven Command and Control (C2) solutions – a trusted, battle-proven architecture – to this product range, Diehl Defence is responsible for the overall GBAD system which includes effectors and launchers.
Based on that experience, Diehl Defence and Airbus Defence and Space intend to identify potentials for product enhancements, providing customers with better capabilities and improved agility of their joint products. One possible way to achieve these objectives is the founding of a commonly used “battle lab” development environment.
By integrating these next-generation C2 layers and capabilities with Diehl Defence’s field-proven effectors, the partnership aims to anchor a resilient, fully networked defensive shield capable of scaling seamlessly to meet evolving NATO and ESSI requirements.
Developed in close collaboration with the German Armed Forces, the IBMS leverages decades of expertise in Command & Control and networking, making it a trusted choice for European customers. Its combat-proven performance within the IRIS-T SLM/SLS system in Ukraine validates the effectiveness of the common solutions. Building on this successful partnership, numerous nations – including Germany, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland – have now adopted these GBAD solutions.
“Airbus continues to shape the future of Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) by combining our battle-proven and NATO-certified Command and Control (C2) system with Diehl Defence’s equally proven IRIS-T SLS/SLM family,” said Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. “This joint work is both the main enabler and the springboard for further expansion of the successful European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI), offering an open architecture for reliable and effective Air Defence solutions for existing and new customers.”
Helmut Rauch, Diehl Defence CEO, said: “I am proud of our previous GBAD achievements with Airbus Defence and Space, and I am looking forward to taking this step further. I am convinced that we can provide intelligent and reliable solutions for our customers’ requirements in the field of Integrated Air and Missile Defence.”
