Overview
- TDW and Stark Defence reported a successful live detonation of a Virtus warhead on a Bavarian range with claimed penetration of more than 800 mm of tank-grade steel.
- Stark Defence describes Virtus as exceeding 100 km range with over an hour of endurance and designed to strike tanks, air defenses and radars.
- Company officials say the test under NATO qualification standards paves the way for scaled output, with TDW targeting thousands of standardized warheads annually and potentially far higher volumes.
- The Bundeswehr continues comparative trials of systems from Stark Defence and Helsing, with Rheinmetall listed as a third bidder in the competitive evaluation.
- Army leaders plan six kamikaze-drone units, aiming for an initial medium-range battery by 2027 and additional formations by 2029, following recent swarm and C2 integration experiments at Altmark.