Germany aims to spend $439bn on new weapons

Germany plans to purchase new military hardware worth $439 billion (€377 billion) as part of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s efforts to build “the strongest conventional army in Europe,” Politico reported Monday, citing new internal government documents.

A 39-page list lays out desired purchases of land, air, sea and space weapons for the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) for its 2026 budget. Clients have already been identified for more than half of the listed projects. However, the majority are still in the planning phase, for which there is no clear timeframe yet.

According to the report, with a contract volume of €182 billion, half of the orders will go to German companies. Rheinmetall is the biggest beneficiary: €32 billion alone will flow directly to the Düsseldorf-based defense company, with a further €56 billion to subsidiaries and joint ventures.

In total, the Bundeswehr wants 687 Puma infantry fighting vehicles, which Rheinmetall is developing jointly with Franco-German defense company KNDS, according to Politico. Some 662 of the vehicles are to be used in combat and 25 more for training soldiers. The delivery deadline is set for 2035.

According to the report, another order for Rheinmetall includes 561 Skyranger 30 mobile air defense systems. The turret systems can be mounted on existing Bundeswehr vehicles and used, among other things, against drones. According to Politico, the order also includes grenades and rifle ammunition worth millions of dollars.

In addition to infantry fighting vehicles and air defense systems, Rheinmetall is also expected to supply a dozen new Luna NG reconnaissance drones, according to the report. The contract is valued at about €1.6 billion.

The Bundeswehr also plans to arm its Heron-TP drones from the Israeli manufacturer IAI and, according to the document, purchase ammunition for this purpose for around €100 million.

The Navy is also expected to receive new drones: four maritime uMAWS drones are to be purchased for approximately €675 million, including spare parts, training and maintenance.

With 21 contracts totaling €17.3 billion, the German missile manufacturer Diehl Defense also appears on the Bundeswehr's wish list, according to the report. The largest share, at almost €4.2 billion, would go to the Iris-T air defense system.

According to the report, the Bundeswehr intends to acquire 14 complete IRIS-T SLM systems worth €3.18 billion. For an additional €694 million, 396 IRIS-T SLM medium-range missiles are to be purchased, and another €300 million for 300 IRIS-T LFK short-range missiles.

Some of the most expensive projects in the Bundeswehr document are said to be aimed at space, reports Politico. More than €14 billion is earmarked for geostationary communications satellites, modernized ground control stations and satellite constellations in low-Earth orbit. The latter alone is budgeted at €9.5 billion. This is intended to ensure constant, uninterrupted communication for troops and command posts.

In late September, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that the German government intends to provide a total of €35 billion for space projects and a security architecture in space by 2030.

The Bundeswehr's wish list is said to also include several items from the US: approximately 15 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin valued at around €2.5 billion and four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for €1.8 billion for the Navy.

In addition to the aircraft, the Bundeswehr is also said to be planning to purchase 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles for approximately €1.15 billion and three Lockheed Martin Typhon launchers valued at €220 million. The latter could extend the range of the Tomahawk missiles to 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles), reported Politico.