- Germany is considering purchasing up to 2,500 armored fighting vehicles and as many as 1,000 battle tanks as part of a joint European effort to create new NATO brigades to deter Russia.
- The order, worth up to €25 billion, would equip seven combat brigades that Germany has pledged to contribute to NATO within the next decade, reflecting growing concern about Russian hostility.
- The purchases are part of a broader effort to transform Germany's armed forces, which includes increasing the military by up to 60,000 active soldiers and abandoning strict borrowing limits on defense spending.
Germany is considering purchasing up to 2,500 armored fighting vehicles and as many as 1,000 battle tanks as part of a joint European effort to create new NATO brigades to deter Russia, according to people familiar with the matter.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has asked Germany to contribute as many as seven combat brigades to the alliance within the next decade. The fighting vehicles and tanks, if approved, would equip these forces, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. The ramp-up reflects growing concern among allies about heightened Russian hostility since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The order under consideration by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and the Bundeswehr’s top generals would include as many as 1,000 Leopard 2 battle tanks and up to 2,500 GTK Boxer armored fighting vehicles, the people said. The tanks are manufactured by KDNS and Rheinmetall, and the fighting vehicles are made by ARTEC, a joint venture of KDNS and Rheinmetall.
A defense ministry spokesman declined to comment on possible increases in the number of combat vehicles.
Rheinmetall shares were up by as much as 3.7% in Frankfurt following news of the plans and a pre-close call, which prompted analysts to raise price targets.
The total order could be worth as much as €25 billion, the people said, caveating that because procurement negotiations are still ongoing, the ultimate number may be lower.
The orders are expected to be finalized in the coming months and lawmakers could give a green light by the end of the year, the people said.
Germany pledged the additional brigades as part of an effort to meet new NATO capacity goals that leaders agreed to at a summit in the Netherlands in June.
Independent of the battle tanks and armored fighting vehicles, Berlin received initial approval earlier this year to purchase more than 1,000 Patria armored modular vehicles from the Finnish defense manufacturer of the same name. The Patrias will replace the Bundeswehr’s aging fleet of Fuchs armored fighting vehicles, the people said.
The Helsinki-based company is partnering with KDNS and Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) to build the Patria AMV, and according to the people, the order could be worth up to €2 billion. Roughly 90% of the production is expected to happen in Germany.
Germany’s new center-right chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has vowed to transform the country’s armed forces into Europe’s strongest to counter the rising threat from Russia. With the help of the opposition Greens, the ruling coalition abandoned strict borrowing limits on defense spending earlier this year to allow for unprecedented military procurement.
To further bolster the military, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in June that Germany will need to increase its armed forces by as many as 60,000 active soldiers, or by roughly a third. The government hopes that a new voluntary military service initiative set to go into effect in 2026 will help.
