The German automotive giant Volkswagen and the Israeli defense company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems are nearing an agreement to create a joint venture for the production of air defense system components. This was reported by Bloomberg, according to UNN.
Details
"Volkswagen and the Israeli defense manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems are nearing an agreement to establish a joint venture by the end of the year to produce parts for the Iron Dome air defense system in Germany," the publication writes.
According to the publication's sources, Rafael CEO Yoav Turgeman met with government officials in Berlin and VW representatives in Wolfsburg this week to discuss details of the planned defense cooperation.
"The joint venture involves transitioning production at the struggling VW plant in the western city of Osnabrück from automobiles to military vehicles for the missile defense system," the source adds.
It is also reported that the idea is to produce military trucks for the mobile Iron Dome air defense system of the Israeli state-owned company, as well as potentially for the laser version known as Iron Beam. In addition to the VW plant in Osnabrück, two other facilities could benefit from the planned cooperation through supply chains.
According to sources, the missiles and core components of the air defense system will be manufactured in Israel, after which they will be mounted on military trucks assembled at the German plant.
Sources also note that the new air defense systems will become an additional element of the "European Sky Shield" initiative, led by Germany and coordinated by NATO, which was launched by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in 2022.
Recall
The German automotive group Volkswagen is in talks with the Israeli company Rafael regarding the reorientation of part of its production toward defense products. This concerns the potential use of the Osnabrück plant, which was previously slated for closure.