Germany Preparing to Buy Ukraine’s Bars Cruise Missile, FT Reports
Germany is preparing to buy Ukraine’s Bars cruise missile for the Bundeswehr, the Financial Times reports. An initial batch would be tested early next year, and Bars is described as having a range of up to 1,000 km and a payload of up to 105 kg.
A Ukrainian‑developed cruise missile may soon enter German service. The Financial Times reports that Germany is preparing to buy Ukraine’s Bars cruise missile for the Bundeswehr, in what would be the first known purchase of an offensive weapon system developed in Ukraine for German forces.
According to the report, Berlin plans to receive an initial batch of Bars missiles for testing early next year. If the trials are successful, this could lead to an order for several hundred missiles.
Bars is described as a cruise missile with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers and a payload of up to 105 kilograms. That combination would give German forces a long‑range conventional strike option based on Ukrainian technology.
For Ukraine, a German order would mark a significant export of a domestically developed weapon at a time when its defense industry is under pressure from Russian attacks. For Germany, it would represent a move to field a new long‑range system alongside its existing capabilities.
The scale and timing of any follow‑on order will depend on the results of the Bundeswehr’s testing. Key signals to track are formal confirmation of the testing purchase from Berlin, any technical details released about Bars’ performance in German trials, and parliamentary scrutiny of the decision once an initial batch is in German hands.
Sources
- OSINT