German tank maker Rheinmetall has teamed with Vantor to flog Germany a more independent satellite spying setup after US data wobbliness spooked Europe.
According to the Financial Times Rheinmetall has signed a memorandum of understanding with US satellite imagery outfit Vantor for a planned joint venture.
For those who came in late, Vantor used to be called Maxar Technologies. The outfit caused a stink last year when Washington stopped it providing some data services to Ukraine. That block followed the Trump administration cutting off access to US-collected intelligence shared with allies. Ukraine briefly lost access to satellite imagery, which handed Russia a battlefield advantage.
The episode fed fears that US defence tech sold abroad might come with an off switch. European governments have since been rather less relaxed about relying on Washington for weapons, data and other battlefield plumbing.
Vantor now wants to be seen as a supplier of “sovereign” satellite intelligence and imagery. Its pitch includes Raptor map-matching software, which helps navigation and drone targeting when GPS is missing or being nobbled.
The Colorado-based company said its Rheinmetall partnership “will give Germany’s armed forces sovereign control” of the data. It said European customers could control Vantor’s satellite constellation directly without having to worry about the mercurial whims of US foreign policy
Rheinmetall chief executive Armin Papperger said the tie-up was “laying the groundwork for a sovereign European capability in the field of geospatial intelligence”.
Rheinmetall wanted comfort that intellectual property would sit in Europe before doing the deal, according to a person familiar with the talks. That sounds like someone in Düsseldorf has been reading the fine print.
The move comes as Rheinmetall pushes into the space market while European governments try to reduce their dependence on the US. Reconnaissance, intelligence and communications satellites have moved from nice-to-have toys to wartime necessities.
Berlin has promised €35 billion in military space spending by 2030. That is the sort of budget that makes defence contractors suddenly remember they always loved orbit.
Last year, Rheinmetall won its first satellite reconnaissance contract after creating a joint venture with Finnish space technology company Iceye. The German programme, called Spock 1, is worth up to €2.7 billion.
Rheinmetall now wants to bid for the follow-up, Spock 2. It could work with both Vantor and Iceye on that offer, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
The company has formed a joint venture with Bremen-based satellite maker OHB. That bid aims to build something like Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service for Germany’s armed forces, without the awkward reliance on a billionaire’s mood ring.
Rheinmetall has been busy signing up foreign partners. Recent deals include Dutch start-up Destinus for long-range missiles and South Korea’s LIG Defense & Aerospace for medium and long-range air defence systems.
It is bidding with Boeing Australia to supply unmanned aircraft to Germany’s air force. Rheinmetall seems determined to become a one-stop shop for anyone nervous about the next war.
A person close to Vantor said last year’s Ukraine intelligence halt had been a “wake-up call”. The person insisted Vantor was not to blame, because the US had the right to control access to the GEGD platform.
Vantor claimed the cut-off helped business, since some foreign customers then paid it directly instead of relying on Washington-controlled technology.
