Germany Awards HENSOLDT €15M Optarion Development Contract

Germany has awarded HENSOLDT a €15 million contract to continue development of the Optarion mission support system, a ground-based architecture that connects military aircraft with digital command-and-control networks without requiring modifications to the aircraft. The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support, known as BAAINBw, commissioned the next development phase, HENSOLDT announced on September 9. 

Optarion currently supports the Bundeswehr’s Tiger, NH90 and CH-53GA helicopters, linking the aircraft with networked tactical information systems including the Bundeswehr Battle Management System. The approach allows Germany to add existing aviation platforms to a wider digital command structure through a ground station rather than requiring a separate aircraft modification program. 

Optarion connects existing helicopters without aircraft modifications

The Optarion Einsatzunterstützungsanlage, or EUA, operates as the interface between command-and-control information systems and airborne platforms.

Instead of modifying individual helicopters with a new integration package, the ground-based system handles the exchange between the aircraft platform and the wider tactical information environment. HENSOLDT is developing the architecture under the Software-Defined Defence approach, with software and ground infrastructure providing capabilities that would otherwise require changes to individual platforms. 

That distinction is particularly relevant for fleets containing multiple aircraft types and configurations. Germany can connect Tiger, NH90 and CH-53GA helicopters to a common information environment while limiting the engineering, certification and configuration work required on the aircraft themselves.

The contract does not represent the start of Optarion development. HENSOLDT released two EUA versions in 2025, including an updated information technology platform for the Bundeswehr, as the system moved closer to operational use. 

The latest version also supports the German Tiger combat helicopter in Bootes and MR3+ configurations, expanding the mission-support architecture available to the platform. 

Tiger, NH90 and CH-53GA join Germany’s digital command network

Optarion reflects Germany’s broader effort to connect sensors, aircraft and land forces through common digital command structures.

For Army aviation, the system provides a bridge between airborne platforms developed in different periods and the Bundeswehr’s newer Battle Management System. This can extend network participation without waiting for every aircraft type to undergo a dedicated avionics modernization program.

The three helicopter families supported by Optarion also represent substantially different missions.

The Tiger serves as a combat helicopter, while the NH90 provides tactical transport capabilities. Germany’s CH-53GAfleet represents the upgraded version of the CH-53G heavy transport helicopter currently approaching the end of its German service life.

The ability to accommodate different platforms through a common ground architecture therefore provides a model for integrating legacy and newer aircraft into the same tactical information environment.

HENSOLDT indicated that the new development phase is intended not only for German Army requirements but also for the German Air Force and international users. 

NATO customer already operates an international Optarion variant

Optarion has also moved beyond the Bundeswehr.

HENSOLDT has delivered an international configuration known as the Mission Planning Ground Station, or MPGS, to an undisclosed NATO customer. A follow-on contract was subsequently awarded for the same customer, according to information released alongside the German development award. 

HENSOLDT has not publicly identified the NATO operator.

The international order is significant because it indicates that the architecture is not limited to Germany’s specific helicopter fleet or national command-and-control structure. A configurable ground-based interface could offer other NATO operators a route for connecting existing aviation platforms with newer digital command networks while reducing the need for aircraft-specific changes.

For NATO members operating mixed fleets, this type of integration has become increasingly relevant as militaries seek to move targeting, reconnaissance and command information between platforms faster without replacing every legacy system simultaneously.

The latest €15 million BAAINBw contract will continue the development of that architecture for German requirements while HENSOLDT pursues additional international applications. 

Software integration offers an alternative to aircraft upgrades

The Optarion program illustrates a broader shift in European military modernization toward extracting additional capability from existing platforms through software, data networks and external mission systems.

That approach does not eliminate the need for aircraft modernization. Sensors, communications equipment and avionics still impose physical limitations on what information an aircraft can exchange and how crews can use it.

However, moving part of the integration burden to a ground-based mission-support environment can reduce the number of modifications required across a heterogeneous fleet.

For Germany, the immediate objective is to further integrate Army aviation into the Bundeswehr’s digital command-and-control architecture. For HENSOLDT, the existing NATO customer suggests the same concept could develop into an export product as European armed forces invest in networked operations.

The €15 million contract is relatively small compared with major German platform procurement programs, but the capability it funds addresses a wider problem facing NATO militaries: how to connect aircraft already in service to rapidly evolving digital battlefield networks without repeatedly redesigning the aircraft themselves.

Questions and answers

What is the HENSOLDT Optarion system?

Optarion is a ground-based mission support system that connects military aircraft with command-and-control information systems. It acts as an interface between airborne platforms and digital tactical networks, including the Bundeswehr Battle Management System. 

How much is Germany spending on the latest Optarion contract?

BAAINBw awarded HENSOLDT a €15 million development contract for the next phase of Optarion. HENSOLDT announced the contract on September 9, 2026. 

Which German helicopters does Optarion support?

HENSOLDT says the Optarion EUA supports the Tiger, NH90 and CH-53GA helicopter fleets while connecting them with the Bundeswehr’s networked tactical information architecture. 

Does Optarion require modifications to the helicopters?

HENSOLDT says existing and new platforms can be integrated into the digital command-and-control network through Optarion without changing the aircraft configuration. The system uses a ground-based architecture to provide the interface.