Technology center for the defense industry in the Rheinisches Revier

A new, high-tech campus for companies in the security and defense sectors is set to open in the Rheinisches Revier. At the heart of this initiative is the planned Production Launch Centre Defence (PLCD), which aims to facilitate the integration of new security and defense technologies into industrial production processes. Participating companies include the U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin, Rheinmetall, and the lightweight construction specialist Mubea. Against the backdrop of rising European defense investments, representatives of the state government and industry signed a letter of intent at the Munich Security Conference for the establishment of the new campus.

The technology and development center aims to pool industrial expertise, research capabilities, and innovation clusters more effectively. This is particularly intended to cover the phase between development and series production, when prototypes are transformed into systems that can be manufactured on an industrial scale. Startups, SMEs, and large corporations alike will have access to production capacities and test environments where they can scale their technologies under real-world industrial conditions.

NRW Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur: “NRW has the industrial strength, the bright minds, and the will to take on responsibility in this very area. With the Production Launch Centre Defence, we are ensuring that technological innovations become operational more quickly, new industrial value is created, and Europe’s technological sovereignty is strengthened.”