German defense giant Hensoldt, specializing in radar and sensor production, is launching a new large-scale project. The company is opening a software engineering center located at one of Bosch's plants near Stuttgart. This strategic decision involves transferring up to 300 employees from the automotive manufacturer into the defense sector structure.
Synergy of automotive and military technologies
The new Hensoldt hub will operate in a vacant building of the Bosch campus. The main task of the site will be the development and implementation of software architectures for defense applications. The company is betting on the engineering competencies for which Bosch, the world's largest automotive parts manufacturer, is famous. It is expected that the experience of the automotive industry will be effectively transferred to the creation of high-tech military systems.
When forming the team, priority is given to narrow specialists:
- Systems engineering;
- Software development;
- Electrical engineering.
Trend of personnel reengineering in Germany
The opening of the center is another stage in Hensoldt's strategy for reallocating human resources. Last year, the defense company already offered jobs to almost 200 employees of Bosch and Continental from the Stuttgart region and other locations. Earlier this year, Hensoldt also agreed to cooperate with automotive parts manufacturer Aumovio to transfer some engineers who lost their jobs due to cuts in the research division.
Hensoldt's market capitalization is currently 10 billion euros. The company is showing rapid growth: in 2026, it plans to hire about 1600 new employees, which will increase the staff by more than 16%.
Defense market context
The expansion of the staff is taking place against the backdrop of the company's active activities in international markets. In 2025, Hensoldt received orders for the manufacture and supply of radar systems for air defense systems to Ukraine. At the same time, changes in budgetary policy are being discussed in Germany: the government intends to reduce spending on ammunition in 2027, which could exacerbate problems for other major arms manufacturers, such as Rheinmetall.
