Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 28, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
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Germany's armed forces are preparing to develop long-range combat drones with contributions from major defense companies, though no formal tender is issued.
BERLIN (Reuters) -The German armed forces are preparing to develop long-range combat drones capable of striking targets deep in enemy territory, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Monday.
Three consortia are working on concrete concepts after the Luftwaffe airforce sent a request for deep-strike drones to leading defence companies and startups, the report said.
According to the report, Airbus Defence is contributing to the project alongside U.S. startup Kratos, while Germany's Rheinmetall has teamed up with drone specialist Anduril. Munich-based startup Helsing is also involved, the report said.
The German defence ministry confirmed preparations for such a project to Handelsblatt, saying that initial talks had taken place but that no formal tender had been issued.
The ministry and the companies mentioned did not respond to emailed requests for comment from Reuters.
(Writing by Friederike Heine, Editing by Rachel More)
The German armed forces are preparing to develop long-range combat drones capable of striking targets deep in enemy territory.
Airbus Defence is collaborating with U.S. startup Kratos, while Germany's Rheinmetall has partnered with drone specialist Anduril.
The German defense ministry confirmed preparations for the project but stated that no formal tender has been issued yet.
The Luftwaffe airforce sent a request for deep-strike drones to leading defense companies and startups.
The ministry and the companies mentioned did not respond to emailed requests for comment from Reuters.
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