Germany is in talks with Ukraine on the joint production and purchase of Bars cruise missiles. Negotiations are also under way to buy missiles from other manufacturers to strengthen its arsenal for potential deterrence against Russia.
Bloomberg reports, citing sources familiar with the talks.
Germany plans to purchase thousands of high-precision long-range missiles from several manufacturers to enhance its military capabilities for deterring Russia. In particular, Berlin is in talks with Ukraine on the joint production and acquisition of Bars cruise missiles.
At the same time, German officials are negotiating with US defence start-up Covenant on a contract worth more than €1bn to buy thousands of ground-launched Anthem cruise missiles with a large warhead.
Other potential suppliers include the Dutch company Destinus with its Ruta cruise missiles and the German-British defence start-up Hypersonica, which is developing the HS1 hypersonic missile.
As Bloomberg notes, buying a large number of relatively inexpensive missiles should help overwhelm an adversary’s air defences and increase the likelihood of striking targets.
Germany’s armed forces currently use air-launched Taurus cruise missiles with a range of about 500 km.
Meanwhile, Germany’s plans to buy US Tomahawk missiles and the Typhon ground-based missile system have run into delays that could stretch to five years.
Covenant opened a plant in Leipzig this year. The first missiles are expected there in early 2027. The facility plans to produce 1,000 missiles by the end of next year and, by 2028, reach full capacity of 5,000 missiles a year.
According to Bloomberg sources, the Anthem missile’s range exceeds 2,000 km.
- In September, Germany’s Ministry of Defence urged the United States to grant permission for the production of PAC-3 interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems in Europe.