Written by Vasiliki Psychogiou

Following a defence ministry request to purchase ammunition worth 152 million euros from Israel’s state-run Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition sealed a deal to arm German drones.

The decision to arm the Israeli-made Heron-TP drones, leased by the German military, is part of a broader shift in Berlin’s defence policy triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Interestingly, in late February, Scholz announced the creation of a debt-financed special fund worth 100 billion euros to modernise the Bundeswehr armed forces and meet NATO’s annual defence spending goal of 2% of economic output each year.

For years, the Bundeswehr has been demanding armed drones to protect soldiers during missions abroad and back up military convoys in dangerous terrain. The army has only used drones for reconnaissance purposes, including in Mali.

Deputies from the defence committee of the lower house of the parliament approved the government’s request to purchase 140 rockets to arm the Heron drones, according to people familiar with the decision, who asked not to be identified because the information is confidential. They said that sixty rockets would be purchased for training purposes and 80 for possible use in combat. The meeting was not open to the public.

According to a statement from the defence ministry, the lower house’s budget committee approved the move. A draft resolution for the committee obtained by Bloomberg News states that the drones can only be used in combat if parliament has explicitly approved it. The Bundestag’s budget committee is also expected to give the green light to preliminary plans for spending the first tranche of 2.4 billion euros out of the 100 billion euros from the military fund.

Bibliography

newsam. (2022, April 6). Germany’s ruling coalition agrees $166 million budget for UAVs. Retrieved 14 April 2022, from https://news.am/eng/news/695291.html

Nienaber, M. (2022, April 6). German Coalition Agrees on $166 Million Budget to Arm Drones. Bloomberg. Retrieved 14 April 2022, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-06/german-coalition-agrees-166-million-budget-for-arming-drones

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL. (2022, April 6). Turning to Israel, Germany to get weaponized drones for the first time. Retrieved 14 April 2022, from https://www.timesofisrael.com/turning-to-israel-germany-to-get-weaponized-drones-for-the-first-time/