Tag: Munich

German arms firms see orders spike as wars rage

The Rheinmetall AG logo in front of the company's headquarters | File Photo: Thomas Banneyer/dpa

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.

Scholz addresses criticism of German defence spending

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) is shown various combat exercises during his visit to the mountain infantry brigade on the Reiteralpe | Photo: Peter Kneffel/dpa

Scholz’s coalition has faced criticism over the small increase in the 2025 budget for defence. “In 2017, we still spent €37 billion ($42 billion) on defence. Now, with the use of the special fund, the Bundeswehr‘s budget is €75 billion. That’s more or less a doubling,” Scholz said.