German Navy fires IAI Naval LORA ballistic missiles in North Atlantic trial

The German Navy has successfully fired Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Naval LORA ballistic missile in a dual operational trial, testing a capability that could give German warships a new long-range precision-strike option against targets at sea and ashore.

The firings were conducted as part of the navy’s Operational Experimentation, or OPEX, initiative. IAI said two operational scenarios were tested and that the missiles followed their planned trajectories and struck their targets accurately. The company said both the missile and the wider weapon system met the objectives set for the trial.

The test took place in the North Atlantic between Ireland and Iceland, according to Israeli technology publication CTech, which reported that the launch had been prepared in secrecy. Air and maritime traffic restrictions had been put in place around the test area because of the risks associated with the firing.

“With the successful launch of a ballistic missile last night in the North Atlantic, we have made naval history. I am extremely pleased with this achievement,” German Navy chief Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack told German news agency dpa, according to CTech.

The firing does not by itself amount to a German procurement decision. CTech, citing reports in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, said the trial was conducted as Berlin considers acquiring LORA and that plans could advance following the successful test. The number of missiles or launchers that might be involved in any eventual purchase has not been disclosed.

Naval LORA would give German warships a ballistic deep-strike capability

LORA, short for Long Range Attack, is a precision ballistic missile developed by IAI for strikes against high-value targets. The Naval LORA configuration is designed for both sea-to-shore and sea-to-sea engagements and combines the missile with a dedicated naval launcher and command-and-control system.

That is significant for Germany because it would place a long-range ballistic strike weapon aboard naval platforms rather than relying solely on aircraft to deliver weapons against distant targets.

LORA has a range of about 500 km. Germany already operates the air-launched Taurus cruise missile, which also has a range of more than 500 km, while Berlin is pursuing other options to expand its long-range strike capacity, including US Tomahawk cruise missiles and European-developed weapons.

A naval ballistic missile would bring a different operational option. Ships could hold targets deep inland at risk without having to place combat aircraft and their crews within the same threat environment, while the sea-to-sea capability could be used against high-value maritime targets.

IAI describes Naval LORA as a combat-proven precision-strike system with accumulated operational experience. The company has also expanded the LORA family beyond its land and naval configurations. It unveiled AIR LORA, an air-launched version intended for fighter aircraft, at the ILA Berlin aerospace exhibition.

How Germany’s OPEX programme evaluates new military technologies

The Naval LORA firing was conducted through the German Navy’s OPEX initiative, which is being used to evaluate emerging technologies and operational concepts under realistic conditions rather than waiting for them to move through lengthy conventional development cycles.

OPEX forms part of the navy’s preparations for its “Marine 2035 and Beyond” plan. It is intended to give the service a way to test new technologies quickly and assess whether they can answer current and emerging operational requirements.

For LORA, the experiment gave German sailors an opportunity to test an existing weapon in a naval setting before Berlin decides whether it should become part of the future fleet.

Kaack described the capability as going beyond weapons previously available to the service.

The system “exceeds anything we have known before,” he said, according to CTech, describing the firing as “a new chapter in deterrence and defence readiness at sea” for Germany and its allies.

Russia’s war in Ukraine drives demand for long-range precision weapons

The experiment comes as Germany rebuilds its armed forces and looks for ways to strengthen conventional deterrence following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Long-range precision strike has become an important part of that effort. Berlin is seeking weapons that can engage targets far beyond the immediate battlefield, while European NATO members are increasingly examining how land, air and maritime platforms can contribute to deep-strike missions.

A German acquisition of Naval LORA would also deepen a defence relationship with Israel that already includes one of Berlin’s most important missile programmes.

Germany selected IAI’s Arrow 3 exo-atmospheric interceptor for its strategic missile defence requirement. IAI Chairman Boaz Levy linked the Naval LORA trial directly to that wider relationship, describing it as another milestone alongside the deployment of Arrow 3 on German soil.

“The successful trial of the LORA missile, launched from a naval vessel and striking its target with exceptional precision, took place overnight in Germany – the country where the world’s first ballistic missile was developed.This trial demonstrates Israel’s technological strength and the unique cooperation between Israel and Germany. It marks another significant achievement alongside the deployment of the Arrow 3 system on German soil, further strengthening Germany’s defense and deterrence capabilities and deepening the strategic partnership between our two countries,” Levy said.

IAI chief executive Guy Bar Lev said the latest firing demonstrated LORA’s ability to deliver precision deep strikes in demanding operational conditions.