Germany is preparing more than 60 military orders for parliamentary approval by the end of the year, including the purchase of 20 Eurofighter jets, up to 5,000 Boxer armored personnel carriers and at least 3,500 Patria Oyj armored personnel carriers.
According to the interlocutors, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius briefed lawmakers on July 28 on the government’s priorities for transforming the German Armed Forces into Europe’s strongest military. On July 30, the German Cabinet plans to approve a medium-term financial plan that would more than double the annual defense budget to 162 billion euros over four years.
According to the sources, Germany’s defense spending will be directed mainly to Europe, as Chancellor Friedrich Merz seeks to redirect military spending towards regional producers to make the continent more independent of the United States.
At the top of the list of military purchases will be the purchase of 20 additional Eurofighter jets under a contract worth up to three billion euros, the sources said.
Berlin also plans to order up to 5,000 Boxer armored vehicles in various configurations from domestic manufacturers KNDS and Rheinmetall, as well as at least 3,500 Patria armored articulated vehicles from the Finnish defense company of the same name.
In addition to armored vehicles, the Defense Ministry is considering purchasing several hundred Leopard 2 tanks from KNDS and Rheinmetall, the sources added. The Defense Ministry is also developing a strategy for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, which will lead to orders worth several billion euros from German manufacturers such as Helsing or Quantum Systems, the sources said.
In addition, Germany plans to invest more than 15 billion euros in modernizing its military satellite infrastructure in the coming years, the interlocutors added.
On June 5, it was reported that Germany will increase the army by 60,000 soldiers due to the threat from Russia. On July 4, it was reported that Germany was considering the possibility of purchasing up to 2,500 GTK Boxer armored fighting vehicles and up to 1,000 Leopard 2 tanks, as part of the EU’s joint efforts to contain Russia.
