SkyStriker

Israel's Elbit Systems and German defense company Diehl Defence signed a strategic partnership at the ILA Berlin Air Show to jointly offer the SkyStriker loitering munition to the German Armed Forces, combining Israeli battlefield-proven technology with German industrial manufacturing to bid on one of the Bundeswehr's most sought-after capability gaps. The agreement, announced at ILA Berlin 2026, pairs Elbit Systems and its German subsidiary Elbit Systems Deutschland with Diehl Defence, a German defense manufacturer best known for its missile and munitions work including the IRIS-T air defense missile family. If Germany awards a contract under the partnership, production, assembly, integration, and qualification would take place at Diehl Defence facilities in Germany, supporting the development of sovereign manufacturing capability rather than relying on fully imported systems. Elbit Systems President and CEO Bezhalel Machlis described the collaboration as another important step in Elbit's long-standing European presence, pairing Diehl's system integration and production depth with Elbit's loitering munition technology. The SkyStriker is a fixed-wing loitering munition, sometimes called a kamikaze drone, designed to take off, fly to a designated area, search for targets autonomously or under operator guidance, and then dive into the target and detonate on impact. It carries a warhead of up to 10 kg (22 lb), can loiter for more than two hours, and has a range of over 200 km (124 miles). The SkyStriker sits in the long-range tactical loitering munition category, distinct from larger one-way attack UAVs such as the Iranian-designed Shahed-136, and it is a longer-range tactical loitering munition than many tube-launched systems such as the Switchblade 600. The system can be launched from land vehicles, EuroPULS, a rocket artillery system selected by Germany and other European customers, naval vessels, containers, and aircraft, giving operators flexibility to integrate it across different platform types without requiring a dedicated launch vehicle. Elbit describes the system as combining versatility, lethality, and advanced autonomy, with operational experience across multiple international programs and different regions. The company has not publicly identified all customers, but the SkyStriker has appeared in publicly reported programs in multiple countries, and its operational history is one of the selling points Elbit is leveraging in the German offer. Germany has been one of the more cautious European nations in adopting loitering munitions, but the war in Ukraine changed the procurement calculus significantly. Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have used loitering munitions on a scale that has demonstrated their operational value for striking high-value targets at stand-off ranges without exposing crewed aircraft or ground forces to direct fire risk. Diehl Defence brings manufacturing credibility and German industrial heritage that matters for both political and practical reasons in German defense procurement. Germany's defense acquisition community has strong preferences for domestic industrial participation, and the combination of an established German defense manufacturer handling production and a proven Israeli system providing the technology baseline addresses both the capability requirement and the sovereignty concern simultaneously. The arrangement mirrors how Germany has handled other sensitive technology programs, bringing German industrial partners into assembly and integration roles to ensure domestic expertise and employment while drawing on foreign technology that German industry does not yet have. "The partnership with Diehl Defence, together with the strong local presence of Elbit Systems Deutschland, is another important step in strengthening our long-standing presence in Europe and supporting Germany's defense modernization priorities," said Machlis. "By combining Diehl's deep experience in system integration and production with Elbit's advanced loitering munition technology, we aim to provide a powerful and future-ready solution for the German Armed Forces." Helmut Rauch, CEO of Diehl Defence, framed the partnership in terms of German capability development rather than purely commercial terms. "Diehl Defence is proud to partner with Elbit Systems in the field of loitering munition to strengthen Germany's capabilities in this segment. This cooperation does not only strengthen the development of sovereign capabilities but also the German defence industry." Germany's broader loitering munition procurement effort has been building for several years, driven by the recognition that NATO's eastern flank scenarios require organic precision strike capability at formation level rather than dependence on air support that may not be available in a high-intensity conflict. The Bundeswehr has been evaluating various systems and the SkyStriker partnership positions the Elbit-Diehl team to compete against other bidders including systems from European and American manufacturers. No contract has been awarded and no specific quantities or values were disclosed in connection with the ILA announcement. The SkyStriker's ability to launch from EuroPULS is a practical integration advantage for potential German use. A loitering munition that launches from a rocket artillery system already selected by Germany eliminates a separate launch vehicle requirement and integrates precision strike directly into the artillery fire support chain, potentially compressing the sensor-to-shooter timeline for time-sensitive targets.

SkyStriker

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