According to information published by the World Socialist Web Site on August 10, 2020, Germany has announced a plan to boost its defense spending. The German Defense Minister has published a first priority list for the acquisition of military equipment to continue the modernization of its armed forces.
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A member of the German support element, assigned to the Supreme Headquarters of Allied Powers in Europe (SHAPE), checks a Heckler & Koch G36 rifle prior to the qualification at the Benelux Training Support Center indoor range on Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, Feb. 26, 2019. (Picture source U.S. DoD)
The German army needs to replace its standard assault rifle G36, a new tender could be released in the next few months for a total of 120,000 rifles including spare parts and accessories for an amount of $245 million. In 2019, the German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen has confirmed that the G36,a rifle which has been in service since 20 years with the German army, will be phased out and needs to be replaced by a new generation of assault rifle.
For the German Air Force, in addition to the 138 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft that are already in service, a new batch of 38 additional fighters will be purchased. Currently, the German air force has a total of 143 Typhoon aircraft, 33 of Tranche 1, 79 of Tranche 2 and 31 of Tranche 3A.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard–delta wing, multirole fighter. It was designed originally as an air superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo that conducts the majority of the project through a joint holding company, Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH.
On 4 August 2003, the German Air Force accepted its first series production Eurofighter (30+03) starting the replacement process of the Mikoyan MiG-29s inherited from the East German Air Force.[157] The first Luftwaffe Wing to accept the Eurofighter was Jagdgeschwader 73 "Steinhoff" on 30 April 2004 at Rostock–Laage Airport.[158] The second Wing was Jagdgeschwader 74 (JG74) on 25 July 2006, with four Eurofighters arriving at Neuburg Air Base, beginning the replacement of JG74's McDonnell Douglas F-4F Phantom IIs.
A German Eurofighter Typhoon links up with a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 100th Air Refueling Wing to be refueled via its multi-point refueling system during a NATO Multinational Air Group exercise over Germany, June 25, 2020. (Picture source U.S. Dod)
Germany has also many new projects for its naval forces including the procurement of 31 Sea Tiger Naval helicopters and the development and purchase of naval drones. Germany Navy has also planned to acquire a new generation of frigate. On June 17, 2020, the German Parliament has approved the budget for the acquisition of four MKS 180 frigates that will be built by the Dutch shipbuilder Damen. This contract will be the largest naval contract for the companies Damen and Thales with an estimated amount of 5.473 billion Euros.
The German navy has also planned to acquire F125 frigates and Class 212 submarines.
For the Army, the delivery of the new tracked armored IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles) Puma will continue, and the old Marder IFV will be upgraded to extend its operational life. The Leopard 2 MBT (Main Battle Tank) which is the backbone of the German Army will be modernized with APS (Active Protection System), a system designed to prevent line-of-sight guided anti-tank missiles/projectiles from acquiring and/or destroying a vehicle.
German armed forces also plan to purchase different types of ammunitions including RBS15 Mk3 sea/land target drone for the first and second batch of corvettes, GBU-54 guided bombs for the Eurofighter, new ammunition for the 125 frigates, torpedoes and new tank ammunition.
