Rheinmetall and Hensoldt have integrated Hensoldt’s Twinvis passive radar into Rheinmetall’s Skymaster command and weapon engagement system during the German Air Force exercise Timber Express 2026 in Manching. The setup ran a Skynex air defence battery in the scenario and used NATO Link 16 data fusion to build a shared air picture under realistic networking conditions.
The trial combined active and passive sensors with electro-optical inputs through Skymaster’s open architecture, which Rheinmetall presents as a route to more flexible air-defence networking. Twinvis detected and tracked air targets during the exercise, while the companies focused on demonstrating interoperability rather than any procurement or deployment decision.
Rheinmetall has linked the test to future integration across its air-defence portfolio, including stationary Skynex systems, mobile Skyranger configurations and counter-UAS applications such as Skyspotter. The companies also framed the result as supporting low-emission, resilient air surveillance for protecting critical infrastructure, military units and facilities.