🇩🇪 Germany will spend €12 billion on building an arsenal of long-range weapons.

Plans by the German Defense Ministry were revealed in internal documents obtained by Politico.

The project is classified as one of the top priorities for Germany and NATO. Specifically, it concerns weapons capable of covering hundreds and even thousands of kilometers.
Targets could include enemy command posts, airfields, launch sites, and supply centers far behind the front line.

The documents state that in the future, the German armed forces will be able to operate deep in the enemy's rear.

The first systems are expected to be available as early as 2027, with the most advanced models not appearing until the mid-2030s.

The lesson from the war in Ukraine: not every weapon needs to cost millions. Important targets can also be hit with relatively inexpensive missiles that can be mass-produced.

According to the documents, Germany is already in talks with two manufacturers. Mentioned candidates include the Anthem cruise missile from the American-Israeli startup Covenant Industries, BARS from a Ukrainian supplier, and Flamingo from the Ukrainian company Fire Point.

The first cruise missiles are expected to be delivered for testing this year.

Berlin is already preparing framework agreements for subsequent mass production. According to Politico, the Defense Ministry describes such systems as "cost-effective and, above all, suitable for mass production." Large-scale serial production could overwhelm the enemy's air defense.

Even more ambitious are the German-British future projects: together, the two countries are developing a new high-performance cruise missile, as well as a hypersonic glide vehicle (a special warhead for missiles). This weaponry is to become part of the so-called "Trinity House" agreement. Both governments have already publicly stated that the new systems must be capable of striking targets at a range of over 2,000 km.

The Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, Major General Ali Abdollahi, visited one of Iran’s underground facilities involved in the production of ballistic missiles.

The visit is a clear message to those claiming that Iran is no longer capable of producing ballistic missiles, particularly solid-fuel systems. What has been destroyed on the surface is nothing compared to what remains underground.

I spoke with several people from Iranian military circles, and they confirmed to me that pre-war munitions are still stockpiled in quantities sufficient to last for years. This means reports based on “intelligence” estimates of Iran’s remaining ballistic missile inventory should be taken with caution, as they are often based on very limited information. Thousands upon thousands of ballistic missiles are still stockpiled.

On top of that, production has increased significantly, while upgrades are constantly being made to improve the accuracy and overall performance of the missiles.

As for the drones, one person put it simply: “We have drones that can go for centuries.”

That doesn’t mean everything is fine or that Iran has no problems. There are shortages of trained ballistic missile operators, and recruitment has already started. The reason is obvious: not everyone can be selected to join the IRGC Aerospace Force, as there are specific criteria that candidates have to meet.