Story ID: 344
Germany to Build Brimstone Missiles
By: David Donald
Caption: The precision-strike weapon will arm the Luftwaffe’s Typhoon fleet.
Word Count: 232
Germany’s Bundeswehr has opted to buy more than 3,200 MBDA Brimstone 3 precision strike missiles to arm its Eurofighter Typhoon fleet. A final assembly line and service center will open at Schrobenhausen in Bavaria to fulfill the order and to support the weapon in service. The facility is close to the Luftwaffe’s Eurofighter base at Neuburg and to the major test and maintenance center at Manching. Currently, all Brimstones are assembled in the UK.
“The procurement of Brimstone 3 by Germany is a decisive contribution to the harmonization of armaments in Europe and the Bundeswehr’s ammunition stockpile,” said MBDA CEO Eric Béranger. “The new production line is the first of its kind outside the UK and demonstrates the value of the MBDA cooperation model in ensuring the sovereign supply of critical European defense capabilities.”
The fire-and-forget Brimstone entered service with the RAF’s Tornado fleet in 2005, followed in 2008 by the Dual-Mode Brimstone with added laser designation capability. The missile was used to significant effect over Afghanistan and Libya and has been further developed with improved performance and additional capabilities.
Among other improvements, the current Brimstone 3 has longer-duration engagement times and can serve in surface-to-surface applications. In the air-launched role, it is integrated on the Typhoon and the remotely-piloted MQ-9B. It is intended for use on the Eurodrone, helicopters, and large remote carriers.