Rheinmetall’s modern MK82-EP air defense ammunition has achieved its first two major sales successes in France and Germany. The French procurement authority Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) ordered the first series productions of the MK82-EP, which are intended for the Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighter aircraft. The German Air Force has also selected the Rheinmetall MK82-EP as a new component of the Guided Bomb Unit GBU54 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM) for the Tornado and Eurofighter. Both orders comprise a total of more than 2,000 bomb bodies worth more than 35 million euros.
In October, the French DGA qualified the new 250 kg MK82-EP (Enhanced Performance) bomb body. This was preceded by a five-year development program and extensive testing by the subsidiary RWM Italia SpA, Rheinmetall’s competence center for air force ammunition, with the participation of the explosives manufacturer Eurenco. The 250 kg MK82-EP bomb body has been developed for maximum safety during storage, handling and use. It is an improved, fully interchangeable variant of the standard MK82 model and is characterized by improved effectiveness. The MK82-EP can be used unguided, but also with Paveway, Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM) or Armament Air-Sol Modulaire (ASM) kits as guided drop ammunition. Diehl Defence is the main contractor for the Air Force’s GBU54 Guided Bomb Unit project. In addition to Rheinmetall, other cooperation partners are Boeing for the guidance system and Junghans Microtec for the fuse. Diehl was recently awarded the contract to supply several hundred of these systems. Delivery is scheduled to begin in 2021 and be completed in 2024. Thanks to the successes in France and Germany, the MK82-EP is still considered a likely armament for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), the fighter aircraft of the future developed by both nations. The MK82-EP air force ammunition is also regarded as the new standard for all users of the Mirage 2000, Rafale and Eurofighter combat aircraft.
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