Last September Germany pledged it would spend €35bn on space tech before 2030, spurred by the war in Ukraine and high reliance on the US for intelligence
Satellite producer OHB has joined a consortium led by the drone start-up Helsing to develop a space-based tactical surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting system. The start-up is based in Bremen and backed by the Swedish tech billionaire Daniel Ek, who is the founder and executive chairman of Spotify.
Last December, Helsing, Kongsberg and HENSOLDT announced a partnership to build a European space-based tactical targeting system which OBH will now lead with Helsing. They hope to secure a multibillion-euro programme for the Bundeswehr (Germany’s unified armed forces) known as Spock 2.
KIRK goes after Spock
Helsing and OBH say the consortium, KIRK, addresses a critical capability gap on the modern battlefield. According to Marco Fuchs, CEO of OHB, “Space systems are essential to making the Bundeswehr the strongest and most modern army in Europe. For the challenges that armed forces face today, fast, precise data is indispensable – and modern space systems, implemented with artificial intelligence, are a key component of that.”
The working title of the OBH/Helsing consortium is KIRK (a nod to the captain of Star Trek’s Enterprise spaceship) but officially standing for Künstliche Intelligenz und Raumfahrt-Kompetenz (AI and space competence).
Helsing is best known for its ‘kamikaze attack’ drones. Its Co-CEO Gundbert Scherf, was quoted by the FT saying that the US had historically been the world’s “most ambitious and most resourceful nation” when it came to military space technology. He added Europe had a unique opportunity to move ahead: “We think this is an opportunity here for Europe to leapfrog. We think we can build a cutting-edge capability here.”
Partners’ expertise
Here’s what the partners bring to the consortium:
- Helsing provides combat-proven AI for space, including real-time on- and offboard data processing, multi-sensor fusion and automated target recognition
- OHB is responsible for the implementation and operation of turnkey end-to-end space systems for Earth observation, communications, navigation and reconnaissance, as well as the development of advanced payloads
- HENSOLDT contributes space-qualified sensors for all-weather, persistent surveillance and high-precision Earth observation, as well as mobile ground stations and existing system capabilities
- Kongsberg delivers end-to-end systems including small satellites, secure communications, C4ISR integration and a global ground station network (KSAT).
Germany’s defence space race
There is fierce competition for funding from the €35 billion that Berlin pledged to spend last September on military space technology by 2030. The Spock 1 programme was a deal worth up to €2.7 billion to provide reconnaissance information to the Bundeswehr. It was awarded without competitive tender, according to the Financial Times, to a joint venture formed by German arms giant Rheinmetall and the Finnish start-up Iceye.
Rheinmetall and Iceye two expected to bid for the Spock 2 programme, which will involve an array of different sensors. Airbus is also expected to join the fray.
Spurred by Ukraine war, reliance on US
No value has yet been set on the contract which would supply almost instant information about the activities of hostile forces and provide support for possible frontline operations, in particular about NATO’s eastern flank, where Germany is building up a permanent brigade in Lithuania in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Space-based tech has also risen up the agenda due to concerns about Europe’s reliance on the US for satellite-based intelligence as the relationship and arrangements between the US and Europe has suffered a series of shocks under the Trump Administration.
