Media: Lockheed Martin pledges rapid delivery of Typhon missile launchers to Germany

Lockheed Martin has pledged to accelerate production of its Typhon strike missile launchers for Germany, contingent upon Berlin and Washington completing a foreign military sales agreement.

The U.S. defence giant’s “hot production” line in Moorestown, New Jersey, is prepared to deliver launchers within Germany’s targeted timeline of one year, Edward Dobeck, Lockheed’s program director for launching systems, told Defense News.

The promise comes amid ongoing negotiations, with the approval process requiring rapid progress through the foreign military sales system. In addition, the German parliament must give its consent after the summer recess, a step that could spark controversy due to the weapon’s strategic implications.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius revealed on July 16 Germany’s interest in acquiring the Typhon system to strengthen deterrence against Russia. Pistorius emphasised that the missile system would serve solely as a counterstrike measure, intended to deliver punishment only if Russia were to initiate an attack.

The Typhon launcher is a land-based, containerised adaptation of the Mk-41 vertical launch system, widely deployed on Western naval vessels. Capable of firing missiles such as the Tomahawk and SM-6 with a range of up to 2,000 kilometres, it represents a significant enhancement to Germany’s strike capabilities.

The U.S. Army spearheaded the launcher’s conversion from naval to ground use under the Mid-Range Capability (MRC) program, aiming to address an urgent operational gap. The MRC batteries, each comprising four Typhon launchers with four missile cells, plus command, reloading, and support components, can engage both land and maritime moving targets—a capability absent since the Army’s earlier Army Tactical Missile System upgrade faltered due to technical difficulties.

Since initiating the MRC program in 2020, the Army has rapidly fielded the new system, receiving two batteries and completing a third last month. Production on the fourth and final contracted battery is now underway.

For Germany, the acquisition of Typhon is viewed as a temporary measure until a dedicated European mid- and long-range strike system, known as ELSA, can be developed. German defence officials have framed the purchase as a short-term gap filler rather than a permanent capability.

This purchase aligns with a German-U.S. agreement from 2023 to temporarily station mid-range missile systems on German soil by 2026. However, evolving U.S. policy, influenced by the Biden administration and the results of an upcoming Pentagon global force posture review expected this fall, could affect deployment plans across Europe.

Lockheed Martin has also engaged German defence companies Diehl Defence and Rheinmetall as potential local partners for the Typhon program. Moreover, there are plans to enable the launcher to fire European missiles designed for other roles, including Diehl’s Iris-T and the Franco-Italian Aster anti-air missiles.

By Vugar Khalilov