As a result of Bundeswehr-related budget decisions made on 18 December last year, the IDAS project now appears to be picking up speed again. "Development of Guided Missiles Sea/Air (IDAS)" was one of the 38 proposals, each with a volume of more than 25 million euros, approved by the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag in the last session of the year. As a result, the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) concluded a contract with thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tkMS) and Diehl Defence at the end of the year to develop and qualify a guided missile system for the active self-defence of submarines - as detailed in a press release from tkMS dated 22 January 2025.
IDAS (Interactive Defence and Attack System for Submarines) enables submarines to actively combat threats from the air without revealing their own position. The 2.80 metre long guided missile with a diameter of 18 centimetres weighs around one hundred kilos and is stored in an ejection container that can hold four missiles. Each missile is ejected individually from a torpedo tube using a fully integrated, separate thrust piston system. The missile travels under water without an additional protective shell. As soon as it breaks through the surface of the water, it accelerates to a cruising speed of approx. 200 metres per second and flies towards the target. Thanks to the permanent data link, the submarine retains control of the missile throughout the entire mission. Tactical finesses, target changes or mission cancellation are therefore possible. Autopilot and infrared seeker enable autonomous combat. The multi-role missile can not only be used for self-defence against threats from the air, but can also be deployed to combat ships and against coastal land targets.
The ejection container has the dimensions of a typical heavyweight torpedo. This enables easy integration into new submarine construction projects as well as retrofit solutions for existing submarines.
Principle sketch of IDAS air defence system. Graphic: tkMS
A long road
The development dates back to the mid-2000s and to a joint venture between Diehl BGT Defence, Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft (HDW) and Kongsberg, Norway. A prototype successfully completed a test flight in 2006. Due to its innovative technological concept - reliable use of an optical fibre in and above water, movement in water without a protective cover - the system was awarded a technology prize by the defence industry in November 2007. Following previous land-based trials, IDAS was launched from a submarine for the first time on 29 May 2008. The trial with U33, a class 212A unit, was successful.
Following on from HDW, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and Diehl Defence continued work on IDAS as a consortium in 2012 as an Initial Development Program (IDP). In May 2013, they concluded a cooperation agreement with the Turkish company Roketsan, responsible for the development and qualification of the IDAS warhead. The Norwegian company Nammo was won as a partner for the propulsion system.
In 2016, loading and unloading tests of the system and later also ejection tests were successfully carried out on HNoMS "Uredd", a Norwegian Ula-class boat. The consortium finalised the IDP with technical development tests in May 2017 in cooperation with the Royal Norwegian Navy.
IDAS guided missile - above water. Graphic: Diehl Defence
23 years after the prototype
In Germany, a selection decision by the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr in 2019 raised hopes that the project would be realised soon. But then things went quiet - until new hopes were raised in June 2022 when IDAS was included in the economic plan of the Bundeswehr Special Fund. This turned out to be a flash in the pan, as the project was already removed from the budget planning in October 2022. This makes the current impetus all the more surprising. Funding has now been approved from the regular defence budget (Section 14) for "the development and qualification of a missile unit consisting of a guided missile and ejection device for the active self-defence of submarines against attacks from the air". To this end, an additional commitment authorisation of almost 283 million euros was also granted for Chapter 1404 Title 551 11. The difference to the original estimate for defence technology development and testing results in costs of 67 million euros for the IDAS project. The title is recognised until the 2029 financial year.
According to earlier information, this means that development and qualification of the missile could be completed by 2029. 23 years after the first flight of the prototype, the system could then be available for the German Navy's submarines just in time for the declared IDAS war capability date.
That still leaves a few questions unanswered: How many small feet can even stand on a brake? Why is E and Q still so long - because the technology is already outdated again? Have we only just started to wake up - or is the alarm clock still ringing?
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