Germany plans to order over 600 Skyranger air defence systems from Rheinmetall in a deal worth more than €9 billion to strengthen its drone defence. The mobile system, now in testing, can be mounted on Boxer and Leopard 1 vehicles and is designed to counter modern aerial threats, including drone swarms.
The German cabinet approved a bill for setting up a National Security Council and introducing voluntary military service, which could turn into conscription in the absence of sufficient volunteers, of which an initial 15,000 are required with a target of 80,000, whom the government plans to entice with high salaries.
The suspension of military exports to Israel represents a major step for Berlin, which has been one of its strongest supporters since the October 7, 2023 attacks and has repeatedly blocked EU initiatives to issue sanctions over the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Thyssenkrupp is to retain a majority stake of 51% in TKMS through a new holding company. The remaining 49% of TKMS shares are to be transferred to Thyssenkrupp shareholders in proportion to their shareholdings, making them direct shareholders of TKMS.
150 German soldiers with five Eurofighter jets began their deployment at the Minsk Mazowiecki military airfield in Poland to monitor its airspace for a few weeks upon its request, while, so far, having performed the same role from Rostock, in north-eastern Germany.
Germany’s defence ministry said it is ready to deliver two promised Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine from its inventory of nine systems, with plans to replace them with new orders from the U.S.
The Main Ground Combat System project is intended to replace the Leopard 2 battle tank with an identical vehicle hull, but adding a modular system with a more powerful main weapon, an unmanned turret and modern protection systems against drones.
The meeting is to take place on Friday in Istanbul at the level of deputy foreign ministers and would be the first round of negotiations since a ceasefire came into force after Israel’s war against Iran, which mainly targeted Iran’s nuclear and military facilities.
Germany has promised to supply Ukraine with two Patriot missile systems, purchased from the United States. However, as the systems are not yet available, Germany will hand over two of its nine remaining Patriot systems to Ukraine and later receive replacements from the U.S.
The treaty underscores the countries’ mutual defence obligations as NATO allies, which is made especially significant given the UK’s status as a nuclear power. The goal is to boost European deterrence and defence over the next decade. The two sides plan to jointly develop a European-made long-range weapons system capable of striking targets up to 2,000 kilometres away, addressing a capability gap with Russian medium-range missiles.
Germany’s top court on Tuesday rejected a constitutional complaint over the government’s legal responsibility for U.S. drone attacks carried out in Yemen with the assistance of facilities at a U.S. air base in Ramstein. The Constitutional Court, based in the south-western city of Karlsruhe, denied the suit brought by two Yemeni nationals whose relatives were killed in a U.S. drone attack in Yemen in 2012.
Berlin’s hospitals have been presented with a plan for maintaining the services and supply chains needed for hospital to remain operational, the emergency allocation of patients and ensuring sufficient backup power, medical supplies and medicines. The plan has been drawn up against the backdrop of Russia’s war on Ukraine and NATO fears of a further advance towards western Europe.
The delivery is to be financed by Germany. However, the final technical, logistical and financial details still need to be clarified, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said after his talks with U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying these “appear to be solvable for both of us, so we will get to work quickly,” and underlining Ukraine’s urgent need for additional air defence systems.
The Ukraine war and expanding global conflict showered a windfall on German arms companies like Rheinmetall and TKMS, with some startups like Helsing becoming the upstarts of the weapons industry, and other legacy companies like Heckler & Koch even experiencing a dramatic reversal of fortunes.
As the German Bundeswehr grapples with a shortage of 60,000 soldiers, Chancellor Freidrich Merz said, “We will probably … not be able to manage with the current voluntary system alone, but will need additional elements of compulsory military service.”
