The German government plans to acquire a large volume of military equipment and hardware to strengthen the country's defense capabilities. This step is being taken in response to changes in the European security environment, against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war. The government is increasing defense spending, paying special attention to modernizing the army and equipping it with weapon systems that meet modern requirements.
Redaksiya reports that Germany plans to approve the acquisition of defense equipment worth over 3 billion euros in total, including 20 light combat helicopters from Airbus SE. This purchase is being carried out as part of a large-scale increase in military power. As is known, the deals include the acquisition of 100,000 night vision devices worth approximately 1 billion euros from Hensoldt AG and Theon International. Additionally, the Ministry of Defense is seeking approval for 1.2 billion euros to acquire additional IRIS-T SLM guided air defense missiles produced by Diehl. The contract with Airbus is valued at approximately 1 billion euros.
According to "Bloomberg", the ruling coalition of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has launched a large-scale campaign to modernize the German armed forces and allocated hundreds of billions of euros to strengthen defense capabilities after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In general, the European Union is also preparing for a potential conflict situation. In particular, bureaucratic obstacles for the rapid transport of soldiers, weapons, ammunition, and the evacuation of the wounded are already being removed. German General Alexander Sollfrank warned Europeans that Russia could attack at any moment. In his opinion, failures in Ukraine will not deter the Russians from a new attack. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also stated that Germany must be ready for war, although this was criticized by representatives of the left wing of his own party. In October, the Bundestag approved 18 defense agreements worth over 14 billion euros. Therefore, dozens more major purchases are expected to be agreed upon by the end of the year. The publication writes that next week the government plans to approve several defense deals in closed session. Germany plans to buy 20 new helicopters from Airbus for its army.