Officials from Elbit and Diehl celebrate signing a new agreement on marketing the SkyStriker loitering munition to Germany. (Elbit)
JERUSALEM — Israel’s Elbit Systems announced on June 11 that it has formed a new strategic partnership with Diehl Defence to offer the SkyStriker loitering munition to the German Armed Forces.
The announcement, which coincided with the Berlin Air Show, is part of a broader push by Elbit and other Israeli firms to tap into increasing European defense budgets. Elbit said that the deal will include local manufacturing and assembly of the system with Diehl, to support “the development of sovereign capabilities and strengthening the German defense industry.”
“This collaboration aims to meet Germany’s growing need for state‑of‑the‑art loitering munition systems, including by expansion of autonomous precision‑strike and reconnaissance capabilities,” an Elbit statement reads.
SkyStriker, first unveiled in 2017 at the Paris Air Show, boasts a range of over 200km, capable of carrying up to 10 kilograms of munitions, per the company. It’s an example of Israel’s major push into loitering munitions, which dates back to the 1990s but has taken on a larger emphasis following the Ukraine conflict and Israel’s own war in Gaza.
