The German Armed Forces plan to buy 12,000 kamikaze drones, an acquisition that will cost hundreds of millions of euros.
The information was shared by the portal Militarnyi, referencing Sicherheit & Verteidigung and Financial Times. According to them, the first drones will be sent to the 45th German Armored Brigade, stationed in Lithuania, a country that borders Russia.
Three German companies, Helsing, Stark Defense, and Rheinmetall, will be the main contractors. According to Financial Times, each of the three companies will receive a contract worth approximately 300 million euros.
A total of about 12,000 kamikaze drones are expected to be produced. Their acquisition will represent a significant step for the German armed forces, which until now did not possess such weapons in their arsenal.
The purchase refers to the following drones: Virtus from Stark Defense, HX-2 from Helsing, and the newly launched FV-104 from defense giant Rheinmetall. All three companies have significantly increased drone production due to growing demand.
However, the proposed delivery method for the drones has caught attention: only a portion of the ordered drones will be delivered directly to the troops. The majority will initially remain with the manufacturers to receive continuous updates of both software and hardware.
“In these locations, innovation cycles sometimes last only a few weeks, making traditional warehouse storage impractical,” noted Sicherheit & Verteidigung.
It is worth noting that the contracts still need to be approved by the German Bundestag budget committee. However, it is expected that the first combat tests of the selected kamikaze drones will take place later this year.
Photo: Helsing. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
