Germany's Bundeswehr has decided to acquire over 3,200 MBDA Brimstone 3 precision strike missiles to equip its Eurofighter Typhoon fleet. To meet this demand and support the weapon in service, a final assembly line and service center will be established at Schrobenhausen in Bavaria. This facility is strategically located near the Luftwaffe’s Eurofighter base at Neuburg and the major test and maintenance center at Manching. Currently, all Brimstones are assembled in the UK.
“The procurement of Brimstone 3 by Germany is a decisive contribution to the harmonization of armaments in Europe and the Bundeswehr’s ammunition stockpile,” said MBDA CEO Eric Béranger. “The new production line is the first of its kind outside the UK and demonstrates the value of the MBDA cooperation model in ensuring the sovereign supply of critical European defense capabilities.”
The fire-and-forget Brimstone entered service with the RAF’s Tornado fleet in 2005, followed in 2008 by the Dual-Mode Brimstone with added laser designation capability. The missile was used effectively over Afghanistan and Libya and has been further developed with improved performance and additional capabilities.