Germany is preparing multi-billion-euro defence purchases including jets and thousands of armoured vehicles, aiming to create Europe’s most powerful army amid concerns over U.S. reliability.
Germany is set to place some of its largest military orders since the Cold War, with plans to procure 20 Eurofighter jets, up to 3,000 Boxer armoured vehicles, and around 3,500 Patria infantry fighting vehicles, according to sources.
The move is part of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s broader push to strengthen German military capabilities and reduce dependence on the United States for European security.
The planned purchases form a key pillar of Merz's defence overhaul, following his success in gaining parliamentary approval to exempt military spending from the country's strict constitutional debt ceiling.
Germany's regular defence budget is projected to rise to €83 billion ($95.8 billion) by 2026, a €20 billion increase from the previous year.
The Eurofighter order alone is estimated at between €4 billion and €5 billion. The Boxer armoured vehicles, jointly produced by KNDS and Rheinmetall, are expected to cost around €10 billion, while the Patria fighting vehicles could total approximately €7 billion euro.
Delivery of the Boxer and Patria platforms is expected to unfold over the next decade.
Germany also plans to expand its air defence capabilities with more IRIS-T systems and several hundred SkyRanger drone defence units, though pricing for those systems has not yet been finalised.
The German Defence Ministry has yet to comment on the procurement plans, parts of which were also reported by Bloomberg, although with slightly different figures.
Chancellor Merz has committed to meeting NATO’s new target of 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2029 — a level that few other alliance members have pledged to match. He has made clear that this is necessary for Germany to shoulder greater security responsibilities in Europe.
Germany’s military build-up comes amid persistent criticism of the Bundeswehr’s readiness. Hours after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the then-head of the German army admitted the country’s forces were severely under-equipped, saying the Bundeswehr was "standing there more or less empty-handed."
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Russia has confirmed the suspension of Kazakh oil shipments to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline, citing technical reasons, in a move that could disrupt refinery supplies in eastern Germany.
Lufthansa will cut around 20,000 short-haul flights from its summer schedule as it moves to address sharply rising fuel costs linked to the Iran conflict.
Ukraine is monitoring “unusual activity” along its border with Belarus, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video statement released on Saturday (2 May). He warned that Kyiv is ready to respond if necessary amid continued regional tensions linked to Russia’s war.
Hundreds of young people in South Korea have gathered in Seoul to take part in a city-backed “power nap contest”, aimed at drawing attention to the country’s chronic sleep deprivation.
China has moved to block U.S. sanctions on five of its oil refineries, in a fresh escalation of tensions over trade and energy policy.
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U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will “soon be reviewing” a new 14-point proposal sent by Iran, casting doubt on the chances of a deal after Tehran called for security guarantees, an end to naval blockades and a halt to the war across the region, including in Lebanon.
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to the Vatican and Italy this week for a series of meetings, according to Italian media reports, in a visit that comes amid strained relations between Washington and parts of Europe and heightened tensions involving Pope Leo XIV.
Ukraine has launched a new wave of drone strikes on Sunday (3 May) across Russia, hitting key infrastructure and causing casualties in several regions, officials on both sides said.
China has moved to block U.S. sanctions on five of its oil refineries, in a fresh escalation of tensions over trade and energy policy.
Germany has said a planned reduction of U.S. troops should push Europe to take greater responsibility for its own defence, as concerns grow in Washington over the impact of the move on regional security.
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