The German army is currently spending generously. This year it has more than 108 billion euros at its disposal - a gigantic sum that the Bundeswehr has never had before. This money comes from the federal budget and from special funds for which the state draws loans.
With this money, the German army, which has only been saving for decades, must become fully combat-ready again. And as quickly as possible, because according to the assessment of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Russia may be able to attack NATO territory as early as 2029.
What is the Bundeswehr buying with these billions? And how well is the rapid rearmament going? Here are a few examples:
First combat drones for the Bundeswehr
For a long time, the Bundeswehr refrained from combat drones - there was no political will to buy them. The war in Ukraine, in which drones are a decisive factor, led to a change in thinking in Germany. For the first time in its history, the Bundeswehr is ordering several thousand combat drones this year.
In the competition between suppliers, young technology companies are one step ahead: the start-ups Stark Defence from Berlin and Helsing from Munich will receive orders - both worth up to 300 million euros. The prototypes of the competitor "Rheinmetall" did not convince the inspectors of the German army.
Kamikaze drones, known in slang as Loitering Munition, are being purchased. Drones equipped with warheads crash into their targets and self-destruct. For example, the Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania, which is being sent there to strengthen NATO's eastern flank, will be equipped with them.
Unsatisfactory anti-drone defense
The Bundeswehr also has a lot to catch up on in the area of anti-drone air defense. A combination of different countermeasure weapons should fill the gaps. The spectrum ranges from signal jammers to the Skyranger 30 air defense system, which can also fight swarms of drones, which is why it is also called the "drone killer".
This air defense system, produced by the German arms concern "Rheinmetall", is particularly eagerly awaited, as flights of suspicious drones over Germany, including over military sites, are increasing. However, it can only be delivered in 2028. The Skyranger will be the main weapon system of the newly created air defense of the ground forces. In 2012, this unit was disbanded because at that time it was considered no longer needed.
The new laser weapons that the navy now wants to purchase are also designed to defend against drones. Such a laser weapon, developed by the arms companies "Rheinmetall" and MBDA, has already passed the test phase and is also on the list of new purchases of the German army.
Large orders to American concerns
Although the German army buys its new equipment mainly from German and European arms companies, some large orders are awarded to American concerns. For example, for the stealth fighter F-35A, which is considered the most modern combat aircraft in the world. The federal government has ordered 35 of them from the American arms giant "Lockheed Martin". The price of the entire package, including weapons and spare parts, is nearly ten billion euros.
One reason for this choice is that if necessary, the F-35 can be armed with American nuclear bombs. Until now, this role was performed by the "Tornado" aircraft of the German army, which will be retired in the near future as they are already obsolete. In this way, the German F-35 fleet will become part of NATO's nuclear shield over Europe.
In addition, the Bundeswehr is purchasing 60 CH-47 "Chinook" heavy transport helicopters from the American aviation and arms concern "Boeing". According to the air force, there is no competing product with similar characteristics in Europe. The costs amount to 7.3 billion euros.
"Boeing" is also the manufacturer of the P-8A "Poseidon" maritime reconnaissance aircraft, which, thanks to the most modern sensor technology, can monitor large sea areas and detect submarines. The first aircraft was delivered to the German navy in the fall. According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the maritime reconnaissance aircraft could be Germany's contribution to better monitoring the waters around Greenland as part of a NATO mission.
News for the Bundeswehr: the Uranos KI project
Artificial intelligence (AI) is an integral part of modern weapons systems. Its importance is growing, as can be seen from the Uranos KI project, which will equip the German army in Lithuania. On NATO's eastern flank, large areas need to be monitored - and here artificial intelligence can be of great help, with the help of which large amounts of data obtained by various sensors can be analyzed. This could make it easier, for example, to detect enemy drones.
The Ministry of Defense is keeping the details of the project secret, and there are good reasons for this.
The F126 frigate: a very prestigious project that causes problems
The case of the new F126 frigate shows that not all expensive large orders go smoothly. The project for the navy's largest warship was greeted with euphoria, but it turned out that the main contractor, the Dutch shipyard Damen Naval, was unable to fulfill the plans. According to media reports, about 1.8 billion euros have been invested in the new frigate F126 so far, and opposition politicians fear that the project could turn into a "billion-dollar hole".
Now the German company Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL) must take over the order and save what can still be saved. Since the navy urgently needs new frigates due to its NATO commitments, a temporary solution is being planned: the German army wants to buy additional MEKO A-200 frigates from TKMS, Germany's largest naval ship manufacturer. Since this model is already produced for export, the plans are ready. But this "temporary solution" of course it costs extra – the Bundestag already approved 7.8 billion euros for this purpose last year.
New uniforms for the Bundeswehr
At the end of last year, the Bundestag also approved a significant amount for new uniforms and personal equipment – for a total of 460,000 soldiers. Critics have asked whether this is not excessive. After all, the German army currently has 184,000 soldiers. However, it is expected to grow significantly – to 460,000 men and women, including reservists. This may take years, but in that case there will be enough combat uniforms. When the new soldiers enter service, – – we cannot temporarily dress them in training uniforms,– explained Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
Author: Nina Werkheuser