The German Parliament’s Budget Committee has approved the purchase of around 500 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to replenish Ukraine deliveries.
A total of 506 man-portable Stinger FIM-92K Block I missiles with proximity fuses will be purchased from the US for about 395 million euros ($425 million), according to Hartpunkt.
It will be part of a larger order of 940 Stingers, including by the Netherlands and Italy.
Acquisition will take place through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, with deliveries expected in 2028-2029.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Federal Parliament also approved the acquisition of up to 3,266 MBDA Brimstone 3 missiles for the German Air Force’s Eurofighter jets.
The Stinger
The German military employs the Raytheon missile, locally known as Fliegerfaust 2, as a shoulder-fired anti-aircraft weapon, as part of an anti-aircraft system, and mounted on the Tiger attack helicopter.
The 10 kilogram (22 pound) system can take out low flying fixed and rotary-wing aircraft at a range of up to 8 kilometers (5 miles) and an altitude of up to 4 kilometers (2.5 miles).
The fire-and-forget missile uses a fragmentation warhead that detonates on impact or in proximity to the target.
It features an infrared homing guidance system that locks onto a target’s heat signature.
