German navy fires Israeli ballistic missiles from frigate in landmark North Atlantic trial
The German navy has successfully fired Israeli-made ballistic missiles from one of its frigates for the first time, testing a weapon that could allow its warships to strike targets hundreds of kilometres away.
Two naval Lora missiles were launched from the frigate Sachsen-Anhalt during trials in the North Atlantic.
Both missiles followed their planned trajectories and hit their targets, according to Israeli state-owned defence company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which makes the weapons.
Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, the head of the German navy, said the launches had made "naval history", saying the weapon offered a range beyond anything previously available from German ships.
The trial took place as part of the German navy's operational experimentation programme, known as Opex, which is being used to test technologies for its future fleet.
Plans to acquire the weapon are now expected to be taken forward following the successful trial.
What is Lora?
Lora – short for Long-Range Artillery – is an Israeli-developed surface-to-surface ballistic missile designed to attack targets on land and at sea.
Unlike a cruise missile, which flies towards its target more like an aircraft, Lora is launched upwards at high speed before descending towards its target.
A naval Lora missile travels at supersonic speed and can strike targets with about 10 metres of accuracy, according to the manufacturer.
The missile weighs about 1,600kg, is 5.2m long and uses satellite and inertial navigation.
IAI's published specifications currently give naval Lora a range of between 90 and 430km.
Why does the German navy want a weapon like Lora?
Having a long-range strike capability is already a stated priority for the future German fleet.
Its Navy Objectives For 2036 and Beyond plan says German warships will need to conduct warfare over large distances in the North Atlantic - and calls for a greater maritime strike capability against targets ashore.
The navy has specifically acknowledged that its existing stock of land attack-capable RBS15 missiles, carried by Braunschweig-class corvettes, is limited.
A ship-launched weapon such as Lora would allow German naval forces to attack targets much deeper inland from positions at sea, and it could also be used against maritime targets.
The test comes as Germany expands its wider deep-strike capabilities, including plans to acquire the US Typhon launcher and Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of about 2,000km, and a joint UK-German programme to develop new stealth and hypersonic weapons capable of travelling more than 2,000km.
Lora would provide a separate naval component to that growing strike capability.
The Opex programme aims to test new technologies quickly under realistic conditions and speed up procurement decisions.
Nato's Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum described the test as an example of Europe assuming greater responsibility for its own defence.
The command linked it to what its commander, General Ingo Gerhartz, has called "Nato 3.0" – a push for stronger European contributions to the alliance, including more long-range strike capabilities.
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