Germany Invests €12 Billion in Its Own Cruise and Hypersonic Missiles

The German government has developed a large-scale program to build its own arsenal of long-range weapons at a total cost of nearly €12 billion. The main goal is to deter potential Russian aggression.

This was reported by Politico, citing internal documents from the Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany.

With these new weapons, Germany aims to gain the capability to strike military targets deep behind enemy lines. These include command posts, airfields, launchers, and logistics hubs.

The plan is divided into four phases and encompasses several types of weapons: from low-cost cruise missiles to American Tomahawks and promising hypersonic weapons.

The fastest-moving part of the program is the development of a low-cost cruise missile, with mass deliveries to the military scheduled to begin as early as 2027. To this end, Germany is considering designs from the U.S.-Israeli company Covenant Industries and two Ukrainian manufacturers.

The Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany is currently in negotiations with two suppliers regarding prototype models.

As a reminder, Ukraine and Germany have signed an agreement on the joint production of the Bars small-caliber cruise missiles. The program involves the export of Ukrainian military technologies and the establishment of production lines abroad.

The second phase will involve the procurement of American Tomahawk cruise missiles and Typhon ground-based launchers. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reached the relevant agreements with the U.S. during the NATO summit in Ankara.

The deployment of American missiles will allow Germany to quickly close the gap in long-range capabilities while the development of its own European counterparts is underway.

The third and fourth parts of the plan call for the joint development with the United Kingdom of a cruise missile and a hypersonic munition with a range of over 2,000 km.

The joint project with the United Kingdom is the most expensive component of the program. Approximately €9 billion is planned to be allocated for the development and procurement of these systems, and the first prototypes are expected to be ready by the middle of the next decade.