The German Parliamentary Budget Committee has approved the procurement of guided missiles for over three billion euros.
It includes 500 guided missiles for the Patriot air defense system costing 3.01 billion euros ($3.30 billion) and 120 IRIS-T air-to-air guided missiles for around 108 million euros ($118 million) to replace the munitions sent to Ukraine.
The Patriot interceptors are scheduled for delivery from 2027 to 2033, while the IRIS-T missiles will be sent by 2026.
Studies on Upgraded Meteor
The German military has also commissioned studies to develop an upgraded Meteor air-to-air guided missile to retain air combat superiority into the 2040s.
The MBDA beyond-visual-range missile is fitted onto the German Air Force Eurofighter aircraft.
A total of 34.9 million euros ($38.19 million) has been allotted to study “possible adjustments to the radar homing head, the propulsion system, the data link and the warhead,” the German Ministry of Defense stated.
The studies are scheduled to begin next year, and their “reports on the adaptation options” are expected to be available in 2025.
Five other countries are involved in the project.
Gepard Successor
Additionally, the ministry is mulling the development of a successor to the Gepard anti-aircraft gun tank, which was decommissioned in 2010.
Berlin has transferred 80 Gepards to Ukraine since the war broke out in 2022 to help it defend against low-flying aerial targets such as drones.