Destinus appoints Dr Dirk Zimper as Chief Future Capabilities Officer and Managing Director Germany

Zimper will lead Destinus' business in Germany and shape its future strike and air defence portfolio.
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‍Destinus has appointed Dr Dirk Zimper as Chief Future Capabilities Officer and Managing Director Germany. He also joins the company's Executive Committee.

In Germany, he will strengthen the company’s presence and lead its engagement with the Bundeswehr, procurement authorities and industrial partners. His remit also includes developing Destinus’ robotics activities, building on the work he began through IronbotiX, the start-up he founded in June 2026.

Zimper was previously a member of the management team and Vice President Tactical Strike & Battlefield at MBDA Deutschland, which he joined in November 2022 as Director Future Systems, responsible for areas including high-energy lasers, hypersonics and ground-based air defence.

Before that, he led security and defence research at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and was Executive Officer of the NATO Science and Technology Organization in Paris from 2013 to 2017. He began his career as an officer in the Bundeswehr.

“Germany is central to Europe’s defence, and to Destinus,” said Mikhail Kokorich, co-founder and CEO of Destinus. “Dirk knows the Bundeswehr, the industry and the research base from the inside. He will drive our growth in Germany and turn what the armed forces need next into programs.”

“Europe needs capability that reaches the armed forces faster than the threat changes,” said Zimper. “At Destinus, I can connect their needs with the group’s industrial strength, at the speed the situation in Europe demands. In Germany, that starts with close cooperation with the Bundeswehr and our industrial partners.”

Read the full announcement EN | Read the full announcement DE