Home Europe Germany earmarks 1bn euros for Patriot upgrades, new SIGINT aircraft buy

Germany earmarks 1bn euros for Patriot upgrades, new SIGINT aircraft buy

Leguan bridge layer
German Army file photo

Germany’s budget committee has approved the acquisition of three new signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft, upgrades to the PATRIOT air defense systems, and a range of other items in the latest Bundestag session.

The German defense ministry announced that it has received approval to buy three Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft for around 75 million euros. The aircraft will subsequently be fitted with a SIGINT system. This means that Germany can expect to once again have an airborne SIGINT capability from 2025.

The Patriot upgrade, that will see 170 guided missiles from the country’s inventory converted, will cost around 213 million euros and ensure a sufficient stock of ammunition for the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force 2023.

For another 278 million euros, Germany is procuring an additional 1,818 guided rockets for the MARS II Guided Multiple-Launch Rocket System (GMLRS).

Other purchases that have received the green light from the Bundestag include additional 24 Leguan bridge layers, and Boxer vehicle upgrades. The acquisition of additional Leguan bridge layers, for an estimated 330 million euros, will allow the German Army to phase out its ageing Biber systems by the end of the decade. Leguan is based on the Leopard II MBT, while the Biber is based on the Leopard I MBT.

The Boxer upgrade will improve the driver’s situational awareness by the integration of camera monitoring systems for around 69 million euros. German Armed Forces deemed the upgrade necessary due to the fact that Boxer drivers do not have an overview of the complete vehicle from the driver’s position.