The LFK NG missile system is a development and integration that is gradually changing the face of air defense capability for the German military. MBDA Germany, together with Diehl BGT Defence, has developed this new short-range surface-to-air missile system to replace aging Roland air defense systems and further enhance air defense systems designated Ozelot within the SysFla program.
The LFK NG missile is equipped with a very sensitive infrared seeker, which enables the detection of targets with low infrared signatures other than missiles, UAVs, aircraft, and helicopters. This advanced seeker technology allows the LFK NG to defeat a wide range of airborne targets with high success and also to provide stationary and mobile units with comprehensive protection.
Equipped with a penetrator warhead, the outstanding feature of the LFK NG is the engagement of armored targets. Coupled with an impressive range of up to 10 km and a speed of up to Mach 2.2, it all makes the LFK NG quite a formidable addition to Germany’s arsenal in air defense. The modular design of the missile allows for vertical launches from fixed platforms, trucks, or armored vehicles like the GTK Boxer, and horizontal launches from helicopters such as the Eurocopter Tiger.
The LFK NG is part of the SysFla air defense system that replaces the capability gap arising from the phase-out of Roland and Gepard air defense systems. For example, the NBS C-RAM/MANTIS® gun of Rheinmetall allows SysFla to cover very short-range threats, while the LFK NG missile extends the protection range up to 10 km, enabling a safe stand-off distance against high-caliber rockets and other agile threats.
In theory, work on the SysFla system, to which LFK NG belongs, involves virtually the whole of the German defense industry. The project, besides being very valuable for German defense and security policy, has huge industrial policy significance. Thus, SYSFLA is fitted for action within the full range of national to multinational networks and supplements the new tactical medium-range air defense system MEADS to offer a high-performance solution against current and future short-range air defense threats.
Since the German Army will go ahead with the modernization of air defense in general, such a missile system as LFK NG is a critical step forward and an indispensable contribution to comprehensive protection against a broad spectrum of airborne threats.