Berlin Security Conference 2021: MBDA in dialogue with Germany for Enforcer Air missile for helicopters

MBDA continues to pitch its Enforcer missile to the German government as a possible air-to-surface solution for helicopters. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)

MBDA is continuing talks with the German government over the possible acquisition of the helicopter-launched Enforcer Air precision-guided missile, as deliveries of the baseline shoulder-launched version are set to commence.

Speaking to Janes at the Berlin Security Conference 2021, Head of Sales and Marketing, Guido Brendler, said MBDA continues to pitch Enforcer Air to Germany in particular, and to the wider light attack helicopter market more generally. This is happening, he said, as the company prepares to hand over to the Bundeswehr the first shoulder-launched missiles that were contracted in late 2019.

“We are in talks with Airbus [for integration aboard the H145M operated by German special forces]. Enforcer Air is dependent on the core [shoulder-launched Enforcer] product, but that is on track with the first missiles set to be delivered this year, as we speak”, Brendler said on 24 November, adding, “The small precision guided missile requirement is there, and certainly Germany is our first gateway market [for Enforcer Air] as our reference customer [of Enforcer]”.

With the first baseline Enforcer missiles set to be delivered, operational trials should run through the coming months ahead of the launch of serial production and delivery to operational units in early 2024.

MBDA first touted the possibility of integrating Enforcer Air on German Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) special forces H145M helicopters at the same conference in 2019. At that time, Brendler described the missile as “the little brother of the Brimstone, in terms of size and cost.”