HENSOLDT Strengthens German Defence Technology Capacity With Planned Stuttgart Region Expansion

HENSOLDT Strengthens German Defence Technology Capacity With Planned Stuttgart Region Expansion

(IN BRIEF) HENSOLDT plans to establish a new Software-Defined Defence and Engineering development centre in Leinfelden, near Stuttgart, creating around 300 jobs. The company has signed a cooperation agreement with Bosch and intends to lease vacant space at a Bosch site in Leinfelden. Qualified Bosch employees, particularly in systems development, software development and electrical engineering, will be able to apply for the roles. The centre will focus on software architectures for networked, updatable defence systems and the further development, integration and industrialisation of software-based multi-domain capabilities for HENSOLDT’s MDOcore software suite. The initiative comes as HENSOLDT expands supply, production and development capacity in response to strong defence industry demand, while also offering new career opportunities for skilled workers affected by structural change in the automotive sector.

(PRESS RELEASE) TAUFKIRCHEN/STUTTGART, 5-Aug-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — HENSOLDT plans to establish a new centre of excellence for Software-Defined Defence and Engineering in Leinfelden, near Stuttgart, creating around 300 jobs in the region.

The planned development centre is intended to strengthen HENSOLDT’s growing Software-Defined Defence business and support the rapid recruitment of skilled specialists, particularly from the automotive sector.

To support the initiative, HENSOLDT has signed a cooperation agreement with Bosch and plans to lease vacant space in an empty building that forms part of the Bosch site in Leinfelden.

Qualified Bosch employees, especially those with experience in systems development, software development and electrical engineering, will be able to apply for the new roles at HENSOLDT.

The partnership comes as the automotive industry undergoes structural change.

HENSOLDT said the collaboration creates an opportunity to place employees with suitable qualifications into new fields of work in the defence technology sector.

The objective is to retain valuable expertise in the Stuttgart region while helping secure the future strength of Baden-Württemberg as a business location.

Oliver Dörre, CEO of HENSOLDT, said Software-Defined Defence requires high-performance software and data architectures that can be flexibly integrated into complex and sovereign defence systems.

He said Bosch has built strong expertise in software engineering in recent years and that HENSOLDT intends to use this expertise in a targeted way as part of the collaboration.

Dörre added that the new site in Leinfelden will support the faster and more software-based further development of defence systems, including MDOcore.

He said the location will create additional development capacity while opening new career prospects for qualified specialists from the region, especially those from the automotive industry.

The new centre will focus on software architectures for networked and updatable defence systems.

It will also advance development processes similar to those established over many years in automotive engineering.

At the Leinfelden site, HENSOLDT plans to develop, integrate and industrialise software-based multi-domain capabilities for its MDOcore software suite.

The project is part of HENSOLDT’s wider expansion in response to strong demand across the defence industry.

The company is currently increasing its supply and production capacities and is seeking additional skilled personnel across the entire value chain.

The greatest demand is in systems development, software development and electrical engineering.

HENSOLDT recruited around 1,200 employees in 2025 and plans to hire 1,600 new employees in 2026, primarily in Germany.

The company said its sites in Ulm, Oberkochen/Aalen and Immenstaad on Lake Constance are seeing particularly strong growth.

Through the planned Software-Defined Defence development centre in Leinfelden, HENSOLDT is expanding its engineering base, strengthening regional technology employment and supporting the transfer of high-value software and systems expertise from the automotive sector into defence applications.

About HENSOLDT

HENSOLDT is a leading European high-tech company in the defence and security industry, based in Taufkirchen near Munich. The company develops sensor solutions, electronics and software for the air, land, sea, cyber and space domain, helping armed forces worldwide to detect threats early and make informed operational decisions.

Building on decades of experience in mission-critical sensor technology, HENSOLDT combines radar, optronics, electronics and cyber expertise with data-driven software and artificial intelligence. The aim is to integrate and analyse sensor data from different platforms and domains and merge it into a reliable situational picture.

HENSOLDT has thus evolved from a traditional sensor supplier to a new-generation system integrator – a ‘neo-system house’ that enables networked, Software-Defined Defence capabilities and supports information superiority in missions.

In the 2025 financial year, HENSOLDT achieved a turnover of €2.46 billion with around 9,500 employees. The company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the MDAX.

Media Contact:

Nico Fritz
Communications Manager Radar & EW
email: nico.fritz@hensoldt.net
Tel: +49 731 3926 203

SOURCE: HENSOLDT