Berlin (Reuters)-Ganyy prepares a wave of multi-billion-euro purchasing orders, including 20 Eurofighter-Jets, a maximum of 3,000 boxer armored vehicles, and no fewer than 3,500 Patria Infantry Fighting Vehicles, two sources that are familiar with the plans Reuters told.
The purchases are part of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Push to build the most powerful conventional army in Europe, aimed at reducing dependence on an ever -unpredictable ally, the United States, and take greater responsibility for European safety.
Earlier this year, Merz insured the parliamentary support that was needed to release the expenditure of the defense of the constitutionally recorded debt limits of Germany, so that his government could finance the military revision.
The regular defense budget of Germany is expected to rise to around 83 billion euros ($ 95.8 billion) in 2026, an increase of 20 billion from 2025.
The order from Eurofighter alone is expected to cost between 4 billion and 5 billion euros, according to the sources, while the boxing vehicles – built by KNDS and Rheinmetall – are estimated at 10 billion euros. The Patria vehicles cost around 7 billion euros.
Deliveries of the boxer and patria platforms are expected in the coming 10 years according to the sources.
The Ministry of Defense also promotes plans to buy more IRIS-T air defense systems and a few hundred Skyranger-Drone defense platforms, said the sources, and noted that financial details for those acquisitions still have to be completed.
Bloomberg also reported on the purchasing plans, although they quoted a few different figures.
The Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
Merz has promised to meet the new NATO benchmark for issuing 3.5% of GDP in defense by 2029 – well for most alliant members.
But Germany also has more overtaking. Hours after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the head of the German army publicly released his frustration about the long -term neglect of military readyness in his country, and said that the Bundeswehr “was more or less empty -handed there”.
($ 1 = 0.8661 euros)
(Reporting by Markus Wacket; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Edit by Stephen Coates)
