Rheinmetall Presents Air-to-Air Missile for Drone Self-Defense

Rheinmetall has presented the Primoco drone equipped with new homing munitions and an air-to-air missile designed to defend drones against interceptors and helicopters.

The system was presented at the Drone Days 2025 event, held August 27–29 at the Oldenburg-Gatten airfield in Germany, Hartpunkt reported.

The platform used was the Primoco One 150 reconnaissance drone, manufactured by the Czech company Primoco.

The One 150 has a range of about 1,800 kilometers and can remain airborne for six to eight hours with a 30-kilogram payload, according to the company.

Rheinmetall said the Czech drone was selected instead of its own Luna NG because catapult launches place high stress on missiles, while the Primoco takes off and lands like a conventional aircraft. The Luna NG also has limited underwing space for weapons.

If there is sufficient demand, Rheinmetall could take on assembly of the Primoco drone and system integration.

The configuration displayed at the exhibition included an Octopus electro-optical station in the nose and four weapons — an air-to-air missile and three loitering munitions.

The right wing carried a model of an air-to-air missile under development by Rheinmetall. The company said the missile has a flight time of five minutes and a speed of 600 kilometers per hour. It is intended primarily for drone self-defense against other drones and helicopters.

The missile carries a 4-kilogram payload and has a technological readiness level of TRL 3, meaning the concept has been validated through experiments. Flight tests could start as early as this year, Rheinmetall said.

Three HERO R-20 loitering munitions, built by German startup Bär Technology, were mounted on Primoco’s left wing. Rheinmetall said the version on display operates fully autonomously with its own seeker head. A future variant with laser guidance is planned to cut costs.

The HERO R-20 is based on a quadcopter design, with an endurance of about 20 minutes and a range of up to 5 kilometers. Its 500-gram warhead is still in development. The company said the munition will soon reach TRL 8, meaning the technology is complete, qualified, and ready for mass production.

In June, Rheinmetall and U.S.-based Anduril signed a strategic partnership covering cruise missiles, combat drones, and solid-fuel rocket engines for the European market.