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Germany prepares huge orders for jets, armored vehicles, sources say
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 29, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 29, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Germany is set to order jets and armored vehicles to bolster its military, aiming to meet NATO spending targets and enhance European security.
BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany is preparing a wave of multi-billion-euro procurement orders, including 20 Eurofighter jets, up to 3,000 Boxer armoured vehicles, and as many as 3,500 Patria infantry fighting vehicles, two sources familiar with the plans told Reuters.
The purchases are part of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s push to build Europe’s most powerful conventional army, aiming to reduce reliance on an increasingly unpredictable ally, the United States, and take greater responsibility for European security.
Earlier this year, Merz secured the parliamentary backing needed to exempt defence spending from Germany’s constitutionally enshrined debt limits, enabling his government to finance the military overhaul.
Germany’s regular defence budget is projected to rise to around 83 billion euro ($95.8 billion) in 2026, up by 20 billion from 2025.
The Eurofighter order alone is expected to cost between 4 billion and 5 billion euro, the sources said, while the Boxer vehicles — built by KNDS and Rheinmetall — are estimated at 10 billion euro. The Patria vehicles are seen costing roughly 7 billion euro.
Deliveries of the Boxer and Patria platforms are expected over the next 10 years, according to the sources.
The defence ministry is also advancing plans to purchase more IRIS-T air defence systems and several hundred SkyRanger drone defence platforms, the sources said, noting that financial details for those acquisitions have yet to be finalised.
Bloomberg also reported on the procurement plans, though citing some differing figures.
The defence ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Merz has pledged to meet NATO’s new benchmark of spending 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2029 - well ahead of most alliance members.
But Germany also has more catching up to do. Hours after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the chief of the German army publicly vented his frustration over the long-running neglect of military readiness in his country, saying the Bundeswehr was "standing there more or less empty-handed."
($1 = 0.8661 euros)
(Reporting by Markus Wacket; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Germany is preparing to procure 20 Eurofighter jets, up to 3,000 Boxer armored vehicles, and as many as 3,500 Patria infantry fighting vehicles.
Germany’s regular defense budget is projected to rise to around 83 billion euros in 2026, an increase of 20 billion euros from 2025.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is leading the initiative to build Europe’s most powerful conventional army and reduce reliance on the United States.
Merz has pledged to meet NATO’s new benchmark of spending 3.5% of GDP on defense by 2029, which is ahead of most alliance members.
The defense ministry is also advancing plans to purchase more IRIS-T air defense systems and several hundred SkyRanger drone defense platforms.
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