Rheinmetall develops new capabilities for German dismounted soldier system

A German infantryman equipped with the current IdZ system, which is integrated with the Puma infantry fighting vehicle. (Rheinmetall)

Rheinmetall Electronics has developed new capabilities for the German Army's infantryman of the future (Infanterist der Zukunft: IdZ) soldier system. Speaking at the 2026 SAE Media Group Future Soldier Technology Conference in London in March, Lars Raschke, Rheinmetall sales manager for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) systems, said the company has worked on IdZ since 2006 and has supplied 68 platoon systems.

Raschke said recent work focused on integration with vehicles including the Puma, Boxer, and Caracal. In February 2025, the Bundeswehr awarded a framework contract for follow-on procurement. This contract has a maximum value of EUR3.1 billion (USD3.28 billion) for the production of up to 368 IdZ-ES (Expanded System) platoon systems. This includes a firm order for 24 systems and upgrades for the 68 existing units.

The project involves cooperation with the German customer to reduce physical and cognitive burdens on soldiers, said Raschke. IdZ is a variant of Rheinmetall's Gladius system.

A new combat vest moves the system's ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio to the back to free belt space. Changing the ballistic protection from the German SK4 (Schutzklasse 4) level to the European VPAM6 (Vereinigung der Prüfstellen für angriffshemmende Materialien und Konstruktionen) level has reduced weight by 3 kg. A Tectonica Bantam Cortex HX7BR interface hub also saves weight by removing the need for adapters.

The system now uses four Bren-Tronics Soldier Modernisation Program 2 (SMP2) batteries instead of six, removing the need for a separate very high frequency (VHF) radio battery. These 18V batteries provide 0.095 kW h compared to the previous 0.076 kW h, increasing endurance by 40%.