Germany Wants Strongest Army in Europe: €350B to be Spent by 2040

The German Federal Ministry of Defence has presented a plan under which the country will spend €350 billion by 2041 on purchasing weapons and expanding its arsenal.

The report comes from Hartpunkt.

According to the draft federal budget, €22.3 billion will be spent in 2026, compared with €8.2 billion allocated in 2025.

The appropriations to commit this amount through 2041 still require approval. The ministry noted that depending on the state of the economy, the figure might increase.

The largest budget items are expected to be telecommunications equipment at €15.9 billion, vehicles and equipment at €20.8 billion, combat vehicles at €52.5 billion, ammunition at €70.3 billion, and field and logistics equipment at €20.9 billion.

Spending plans also include €36.6 billion for ships, boats and naval equipment, €34.2 billion for aircraft and missiles, and €13.3 billion for Bundeswehr satellite communications.

The highest levels of spending are planned for 2029 and 2030, with more than €52 billion projected for each year.

The German government is also preparing more than 60 military procurement orders for parliamentary approval by the end of this year.

The procurement list prioritizes the purchase of 20 Eurofighter jets under a contract worth up to €3 billion.

Plans also include ordering up to 5,000 Boxer chassis for multiple vehicle variants, including as many as 600 Skyranger air defense systems, along with combat, reconnaissance and medical vehicles.

In addition, at least 3,500 Patria wheeled armored personnel carriers are expected to be acquired to replace the aging Fuchs APC fleet. The order could cost about €5 billion, with roughly 90% of production expected to take place in Germany.

The Ministry of Defense is also considering the purchase of several hundred Leopard 2 tanks.