The new ground-based tactical Medium Extended Air Defence System (MEADS) arrives at the international aerospace exhibition  ILA 2016 Berlin Air Show.

At this year’s ILA Air Show at Berlin-Schönefeld, MBDA is presenting a comprehensive portfolio of air defence systems and guided-missile for air, land and sea forces, according to mbda-systems.com. In particular, the company will present new concepts in laser solutions, close- and very close-range defence and ground-based air defence.

For the first time, MBDA is exhibiting the complete MEADS development results together with the Bundeswehr and Diehl Defence at ILA. This includes five vehicles with the tactical operation center, multifunction fire control radar, launcher for the high-performance PAC 3 MSE missiles, the mobile power unit and the IRIS-T SL launcher.  In June 2015, the German Ministry for Defence selected MEADS to be the core of its new TLVS Tactical Air Defence System and has sent a request for proposal in February 2016. The system offers 360-degree and provides area defense, homeland defense, and continuous on-the-move protection for maneuver forces against air and missiles attacks. Thanks to its proven system interoperability, it enables seamless cooperation with EU and NATO partners. At the same time, it is also rapidly transportable.

For the first time, MBDA will exhibit a laser effector as a future system for very close-range defence that can be deployed both on land and at sea. The new weapon system is particularly suitable for defending against unmanned aerial systems. Thanks to its novel optics, it can acquire the target in a 360-degree operational arc, track and destroy it using its powerful laser beam. The solution stands out thanks to its high accuracy, scalable effect and low logistics overhead and minimum costs per firing.

MBDA will also exhibit a modular system concept for highly mobile close- and very close-range protection for ground forces against airborne threats. This concept is based on the TLVS system architecture and is thus a further element of an integrated air defence approach. This modular solution approach is based on proven components such as sensors and effectors used by many nations.

The new Enforcer is the most important system in the battlefield engagement area. This is a precise, light and low-cost compact guided missile for use by infantry and special forces. Development of this system started in 2015. System qualification is planned for 2017.

The Meteor, Brimstone and Taurus guided missiles for aircraft armament, the PARS family of guided missiles for helicopters and the proven MILAN system for infantry will additionally be on display at the MBDA booth.

The MBDA booth can be found on Display G3 / 001. MBDA will also operate a careers booth in Hall 1, Stand 101. Bayern-Chemie, the MBDA subsidiary specialising in rocket and guided-missile propulsion systems, will be exhibiting in the aerospace zone of BavAIRia in Hall 4, Stand 305. The TLVS/MEADS equipment may be viewed at the ILA Plaza Display H4.

The ground-based tactical Medium Extended Air Defence System (MEADS) is designed for protecting troops in out-of-area missions as well as assets and areas in alliance and national-defence contexts.

Equipped with a 360° radar system, a command post with leading-edge technology and hit-to-kill missiles, the system can combat all airborne targets, including cruise missiles and tactical-ballistic missiles.

• High hit probability against all aerial targets, even where electronic countermeasures are deployed
• Autonomous hit-to-kill combating of tactical-ballistic missiles and even long-range cruise missiles
• Destroys conventional and nuclear, biological and chemical warheads
• 360° coverage seamless defence in all directions
• Rapid deployability and high tactical mobility (C-130, A400M)
• Networked architecture for optimised flexible resource deployment
• Flexible integration in future air defence structures
• Interoperability in alliance operations
• Low costs in use
• High sustainability