In brief

• Düsseldorf defence start-up Falk Defence is recruiting staff for a Leipzig office to develop rocket artillery systems.
• The company plans to build the systems entirely in Europe, though production location is still open.
• Ukraine has been identified as a potential market, and the firm follows the US company Covenant in Leipzig.

Start-up recruits for Leipzig rocket programme

Falk Defence, a defence start-up founded last year in Düsseldorf, is looking for staff in Leipzig to research, develop and test precision rocket artillery systems (Ukraine-News: Bundeswehr beteiligt sich an Militärübung über Polen, Rumänien und Schwarzem Meer – MDR). The company opened a Leipzig office in the spring and is currently advertising positions on its website (Neue Raketenfirma sucht Personal für Forschung und Tests in Leipzig – MDR).

Target of full European production

According to the company's website, the systems are meant to be manufactured entirely in Europe. Germany, the company argues, currently depends on suppliers in non-EU countries for such weapons, and Falk Defence wants to close that gap (Rüstungs-Start-up will in Leipzig Raketen entwickeln - WELT – welt.de). It says the goal is to restore European sovereignty in a central area of modern warfare. Where and whether production would take place has not been decided (Ukraine-News: Start-Up will in Leipzig Raketen für Ukraine entwickeln – MDR).

Ukraine seen as potential buyer

The start-up has already identified Ukraine as a possible customer, according to a post on LinkedIn. Representatives took part last week in a conference of the German-Ukrainian Foreign Trade Chamber in Kyiv that dealt with defence and security questions. The company has not commented directly on its plans for Leipzig.

Follows Covenant's Leipzig move

The announcement follows the settlement of the US defence company Covenant in Leipzig, which the city celebrated in early October. Covenant is also active in rocket production, which makes Falk Defence's plans look like a second wave of missile-related investment in the city.