German lawmakers are set to approve spending €2.9 billion ($3.4 billion) on 11 military procurement contracts, including for drones, rifles and missiles, in deals that will go largely to domestic manufacturers.
The defense ministry asked parliament to give the green light for the orders, including the purchase of as many as 250,000 G95 assault rifles from Heckler & Koch for €765 million.
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Lawmakers are expected to approve the purchases at a closed-door meeting next week.
Germany launched a major push to modernize its armed forces following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, setting aside fiscal discipline to channel hundreds of billions of euros to boost defense readiness.
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In a break from German military procurement tradition, the ministry plans to award two competing consortia a €68 million deal to develop an AI platform to monitor NATO’s eastern flank, including in Lithuania, where Germany is ramping up a permanent battle tank brigade to deter Russia.
The first group is Airbus Defence & Space and Quantum Systems and the second is German defense startups Helsing and Arx Robotics, according to the documents, which say a larger contract is planned at a later date.
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Norwegian defense manufacturer Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS is among the few foreign companies set to win a deal. The military is seeking to procure €445 million for missiles for Germany’s fleet of F-35 fighter jets, according to the documents. This authorization follows a contract signed in June for the missiles.
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Sad but necessary
at least the money doesnt go to US