At the LIMA 2025 exhibition in Langkawi, Diehl Defence is turning heads with the display of its Coastal Defence Launcher—a modern, land-based system built to counter today’s naval threats with precision, mobility, and firepower. This innovative launcher showcases the company’s commitment to delivering flexible coastal protection solutions tailored to the operational needs of armed forces worldwide.
At the heart of this system is a modular and highly mobile design. It can be deployed quickly to strategic coastal locations, offering both sea denial and control capabilities. The system is not just one truck or missile—it’s a network of specialized units working together to detect, track, and neutralize hostile naval targets.
A standard Diehl Coastal Defence setup includes several key components. A Mobile Sensor Unit (MSU) carries advanced surface search radars and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors mounted on telescopic masts. This enables long-range surveillance and target detection. Then comes the Mobile Control Unit (MCU), which houses the command consoles and provides operators with real-time control over the system. Supporting these are Firing Units (FU)—each mounted on a truck and capable of launching up to four missiles—and additional mobile maintenance and reloading vehicles.
What truly powers this defence capability, however, is the integration of the Saab RBS15 Mk3 anti-ship missile, co-developed with Diehl Defence. This long-range missile brings lethal precision to the launcher platform. It can reach targets over 200 kilometers away, cruises at speeds close to Mach 0.9, and delivers a 200 kg warhead with devastating impact.
One of the missile’s most impressive features is its adaptive sea-skimming flight profile, flying as low as 3 metres above the water to avoid radar detection. This, combined with advanced guidance systems—including GPS, inertial navigation, active radar homing, and infrared target identification—ensures the RBS15 Mk3 can accurately strike targets even in electronically jammed or cluttered environments.
The missile is also equipped with electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM), allowing it to remain locked onto its target even if the enemy deploys jamming techniques. In addition, the missile supports in-flight trajectory changes—an essential feature when dealing with moving ships, evading defences, or prioritizing secondary targets in a multi-threat scenario.
This technology isn’t theoretical. The RBS15 Mk3 is already being used by the Swedish and German armed forces in their coastal defence networks, and its performance has been validated through NATO-led evaluations. Its truck-mounted launcher format, combined with the mobility and survivability of the Diehl system, offers a strong deterrent against hostile naval forces.
Ultimately, Diehl’s Coastal Defence Launcher stands out for its modular build, multi-missile compatibility, networked operation, and resilience in complex combat environments. It allows militaries to protect their coastlines without needing permanent installations, and to deploy or relocate units based on evolving threats.
As naval forces across the world modernize, the system showcased at LIMA 2025 reflects a growing shift toward mobile, adaptable coastal defence—a vital tool in the arsenal of any nation seeking to safeguard its maritime boundaries against evolving naval threats.
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