26 September 2022

Germany to procure 600 RAM Block 2B missiles for German Navy

by Kate Tringham

Although the RAM Block 2 (pictured here) has a larger motor than the RAM Block 1 and 1A, all three can be fired from the same launcher. (Raytheon)

The German federal parliament's budget committee has authorised the procurement of 600 RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2B quick reaction surface-to-air guided missiles for the German Navy.

In a 22 September announcement, the German Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that the 600 missiles will be delivered between 2024 and 2029 under a contract worth EUR560 million (USD542 million). The acquisition includes additional contracts worth a total of EUR76.1 million to ensure the Block 2B systems are ready for supply and to extend the production of the LFK RAM Block 2 missile until it is replaced, the MoD added.

The RAM anti-ship missile defence system is a co-operative programme between the German and US governments, with Raytheon Missile Systems and the RAM-System (RAMSys) consortium of Diehl and MBDA Deutschland in Germany acting as prime contractors and co-operating partners.

The RAM is a ship-launched supersonic, lightweight, quick reaction fire-and-forget self-defence missile system. It uses dual-mode (passive radio frequency [RF]/infrared [IR]) guidance to engage several threats simultaneously.

The RIM-116C RAM Block 2 is an evolution of the RIM-116B RAM Block 1 missile, featuring a larger rocket motor, advanced control section, and an enhanced RF receiver able to detect quiet threat emitters. According to Raytheon, the improvements make the missile two-and-a-half times more manoeuvrable, with a range one-and-a-half times longer than its predecessors.

Block 2A modifications introduced software upgrades to the missile guidance section to enable multitarget processing.

The German federal parliament's budget committee has authorised the procurement of 600 RIM-116 Rolli...

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