Germany’s €3.4bn Typhon–Tomahawk purchase would give it ground-based long‑range strike for first time
Germany plans to spend nearly €3.4 billion on U.S.-made Typhon launchers and Tomahawk cruise missiles, aiming to operate the system itself and explore co‑production, which would give the Bundeswehr its first national ground-based long-range strike capability.
Berlin is moving to close a long‑standing gap in its armed forces by buying a U.S. system that would, for the first time, let Germany carry out ground‑launched long‑range strikes under its own control.
Public reporting says Germany plans to spend nearly €3.4 billion on the U.S.-made Typhon launcher system and Tomahawk cruise missiles. Tomahawks are long‑range precision weapons, widely used by U.S. forces, that can hit land targets far from the launch point.
Germany wants to own and operate the Typhon system and its Tomahawks itself, not simply host U.S.-controlled missiles on German soil. That marks a shift from an earlier plan that would have seen Tomahawks in Germany remain under U.S. control, a proposal that was later scrapped by President Trump.
Berlin is also seeking possible co‑production and a role for European industry in the supply chain for the system. If those talks succeed, European firms could gain work on components or support, linking U.S. and European production more tightly at a time of high demand for advanced munitions.
Operationally, this would give the Bundeswehr a ground-based long‑range strike option it hasn’t had. Until now, Germany has relied on air power, allied capabilities, or U.S. decisions when it came to hitting distant targets.
What happens next will depend on the detailed purchase contracts, how much of the production line the U.S. is willing to share, and how planners integrate German‑operated Tomahawks into wider European defense planning.
Sources
- OSINT