OCCAR has awarded Hensoldt a new three-year in-service support contract for the COBRA counter-battery radar, covering France and Germany from 2026 to 2028. The agreement is being finalized ahead of the expiration of the current contract at the end of 2025 to maintain uninterrupted delivery of critical support functions. As the system design authority, Hensoldt will oversee configuration management, incident response, technical support, on-site maintenance, IT security, logistics documentation, quality assurance, safety tasks, and—importantly—obsolescence management. COBRA was developed in the 1990s by Thales, Airbus Defence and Space, and Lockheed Martin for the French, British, and German militaries, with deliveries conducted between 2005 and 2007. The original support contract was signed with ESG in 2013, renewed in 2022, and later transferred to Hensoldt following ESG’s acquisition in 2024. COBRA is considered one of the most advanced land-based weapon-locating radar systems worldwide. It offers high-precision detection of enemy artillery, rocket launchers, and mortars, and also aids in adjusting friendly fire. The radar can identify up to 40 hostile batteries within two minutes. Its enhancement package extends detection ranges to 100 kilometers, incorporates dual-layer search functions, and enables automatic sandstorm filtering for improved operation in harsh environments.
