EMT Penzberg
A Bavarian engineering firm put the German army’s LUNA reconnaissance drone over Kosovo in 2000, flew it in Afghanistan and Yemen, then went insolvent and was absorbed by Rheinmetall.
EMT Penzberg: the company and the aircraft that made its name
From Gauting to Penzberg
EMT was founded in 1978 in Gauting, near Munich, as Elektro-Mechanische Technologien GmbH, and moved its head office to Penzberg in Upper Bavaria in 1987. It grew into Germany’s best-known maker of small military reconnaissance drones, with just under 200 employees spread across Penzberg, Iffeldorf, Abenberg and Osterrönfeld in Schleswig-Holstein. Its range ran from the hand-launched ALADIN to the catapult-launched LUNA and, latterly, the LUNA NG.
LUNA goes to war
The LUNA X-2000 was the drone that made EMT’s name. German KFOR troops have flown it over Kosovo since 2000, and it went on to serve in Afghanistan. In mid-2009 the German Army ordered four more systems comprising 40 aircraft. Exports followed: the Pakistan Navy signed a contract on 27 June 2012, Saudi Arabia produced the type under licence, and around 12 February 2019 Houthi fighters claimed to have shot down a Saudi-operated LUNA over Yemen. In August 2023 Ukraine was announced as a user.
Insolvency and Rheinmetall
Success in the field did not guarantee solvency. EMT entered self-administered insolvency in December 2020, while the Bundeswehr was introducing LUNA NG as the replacement for the original LUNA from 2019. On 23 November 2021 Rheinmetall announced it would take over EMT’s business in an asset deal, effective at the end of December 2021, merging the activities into Rheinmetall Technical Publications of Bremen.
EMT Penzberg in numbers
The company
- In short
- Founded 1978
- Founded in Gauting near Munich
- Head office in Penzberg from 1987
- Just under 200 employees at four sites
Production
- Best known for
- LUNA, LUNA NG, ALADIN
- LUNA X-2000 in German service since 2000
- Exported to Pakistan; licence-built in Saudi Arabia
- LUNA NG replacing LUNA from 2019
Today
- Now
- Part of Rheinmetall
- Self-administered insolvency from December 2020
- Business taken over by Rheinmetall, end of 2021
The numbers
- Employees
- just under 2002021
- German Army LUNA order
- 4 systems, 40 UAVs2009
Every notable EMT Penzberg aircraft
| Aircraft | Role | First flight | Built | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMT LUNA X-2000 | Tactical reconnaissance UAV | In service | KFOR Kosovo from 2000, Afghanistan; Pakistan Navy, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine | ||
| EMT LUNA NG | Tactical reconnaissance UAV | In production | Replacing LUNA in Bundeswehr service | ||
| EMT ALADIN | Very short-range reconnaissance UAV | In service |
EMT Penzberg aircraft in the world’s air forces
1 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew EMT Penzberg types. 1 of them still have one in service.
| Air force | In service | Formerly flown |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan Naval Air Arm | EMT Luna X-2000 |
Where EMT Penzberg built, who led it, what it achieved
Factories
- Penzberg headquarters · Penzberg, Upper Bavaria — Head office from 1987
- Other sites · Iffeldorf, Abenberg and Osterrönfeld — Three further locations
Records and firsts
- LUNA in continuous German service over Kosovo since 2000
EMT Penzberg, year by year
Founded in Gauting as Elektro-Mechanische Technologien GmbH
Head office moves to Penzberg
LUNA enters service with German KFOR forces in Kosovo
German Army orders four more LUNA systems (40 UAVs)
Pakistan Navy signs for LUNA
LUNA NG begins replacing LUNA
Self-administered insolvency
Rheinmetall announces takeover
Ukraine announced as a LUNA user
Everything people ask about EMT Penzberg
What is EMT Penzberg known for?
Who owns EMT now?
Which countries use the LUNA drone?
What replaced the LUNA?
Around EMT Penzberg
Every fact, checked
- EMT Luna X-2000 — Wikipedia
- Rheinmetall takes over activities of UAS maker EMT — Rheinmetall
- Rheinmetall to take over German drone manufacturer EMT — Airforce Technology
Verified 2026-10-03.