Secure and scalable software solutions for defense-critical systems

Context

Rheinmetall AG · Defense. Defense-critical systems in a military environment: highest requirements for scalability, efficiency and security; no cloud, operation fully under the customer’s control.

Problem

Existing legacy systems could not be extended. A newly assembled team had no development structure. Cloud services were not permitted, while the requirements for code quality, stability and performance were the highest.

What we built

Extended existing applications and built new systems from the ground up — Linux desktop software with a message bus, SNMP, sensor integration and an internal server, tailored to the needs of a military environment. We took technical ownership, introduced Scrum and delivered several systems in parallel.

Key engineering decision

Introduce agile development (Scrum) in a regulated, safety-critical environment — together with technical ownership. Structure came not from additional bureaucracy but from short, verifiable iterations with clear quality criteria. That strengthened interdisciplinary collaboration and made code quality measurable, without compromising on security and compliance.

Result

• Technically production-ready software after five months — sector-standard validation and qualification take roughly another year on top.
• Several robust and secure software solutions, explicitly praised by customers and end users for performance and quality
• Sustainably increased team productivity; long-term partnership

Tech stack

• C++, Qt/QML, Python, SQLite, CMake
• Linux desktop
• Message bus, SNMP, sensor integration, internal server — on-premise, no cloud dependency

Team & duration

1 product owner, 1 technical lead, 6 developers, 1 QA — over 5 years, ongoing.

Industry: Defense