Image: Rheinmetall ©
Rheinmetall Air Defence and Hensoldt have achieved a milestone for networked air defence during the German Air Force’s Timber Express 2026 exercise in Manching. The companies successfully integrated Hensoldt’s Twinvis passive radar into Rheinmetall’s Skymaster command and weapon engagement system, as per a recent press statement.
Skymaster directed a deployed Skynex Air Defence battery during the trial. The integration ran under realistic NATO networking conditions, testing Skymaster’s open architecture. Engineers fused and correlated sensor data through NATO’s Link 16 network to build a common air picture.
Twinvis, a passive radar built on modern digital technology, performed strongly in detecting and tracking air targets. It supports wide-area military airspace surveillance and civil air traffic control applications. The trial confirmed passive sensor technology’s operational value for air defence missions.
Skymaster’s ability to combine active and passive radar with electro-optical sensors stood out during testing. This fusion capability supports resilient, low-emission air surveillance aligned with modern emissions control (EMCON) strategies. It also strengthens situational awareness for protecting critical infrastructure and mobile military units.
Passive systems carry no distinctive electromagnetic signature, which increases network survivability against detection. The demonstration highlights growing potential for distributed, interconnected sensor networks in future air defence architectures. Results from the trial will inform integration work across stationary Skynex systems, mobile Skyranger solutions, and counter-UAS platforms like Skyspotter.
German Air Force units worked closely with exercise management and technical teams from Rheinmetall and Hensoldt to deliver the NATO-compatible integration. Organisers described the outcome as a significant step toward modern, integrated air defence capabilities.
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