Tag Archives: Defense

A drone comes seldom alone

August 25, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

When their origin is well-known.

Third drone and suspected military explosives found near Leipzig airport – Local media report discovery by German investigators after attempted attack on cargo and military logistics hub.

German investigators uncovered a third drone and suspected military explosives thought to be connected to an attempted attack on Leipzig airport, local media have reported.

The drone was discovered in Kabelsketal, just to the west of the airport, along with about 50g (1.8oz) of a suspected military explosive on 14 August, 10 days after the unsuccessful sabotage. Leipzig airport is a cargo and military logistics hub used by Nato and Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines for transporting military supplies.

The office of the prosecutor general, which is leading the investigation, declined to comment on Tuesday. But the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said the government would soon provide information about who it believed was behind the drone attacks.

German of the day: Langstreckenraketen

August 23, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means long-range or deep-strike missiles.

Inside Germany’s roughly $14 billion plan to deter Russia with a new arsenal of deep-strike missiles – The German government expects it will need almost €12 billion — roughly $14 billion — to build a new arsenal of long-range weapons aimed at deterring Russia.

The weapons would give German forces the ability to hit military targets hundreds or even thousands of kilometers behind the front — including command centers, airfields, missile launchers, and supply hubs.

Internal documents call the effort a top priority for both Germany and NATO.

Gimme a submarine

August 10, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Hi-tech Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

With everything on it.

Israel’s new $634M German-built ‘doomsday’ sub gives major boost to Iran deterrence – The Dolphin-class submarine, built by Germany’s ThyssenKrupp, is the largest sub built in Germany since WWII.

Israel has officially received the INS Drakon submarine from Germany, the most advanced and expensive submarine ever delivered to the Israeli Navy…

“Some of them would have to be at sea, on high alert, around the clock, if Iran suddenly attacked Israel in such a way that would cripple the IDF, including its strategic capabilities,” Eilam said.

“In such a drastic scenario, Israel’s submarine/s that would be at sea could respond,” he added.

German of the day: Neuer Gefahrenqualität

August 6, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hi-tech, Home Cooking Tags: , , , Leave a comment

That means “a new level of risk.”

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) considers the incident involving an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport to be an attack carried out by highly professional perpetrators. He does not rule out the possibility that “foreign powers” were behind it. It was a “hybrid attack scenario,” Dobrindt said at a press conference in Leipzig.

Such threats must be prepared and carried out with a high degree of professionalism. This requires a high level of technical expertise and experience in handling explosives. Furthermore, it can be assumed that the explosives used were military-grade. “None of this points to an amateurish approach. We are talking here about a professional hybrid threat scenario that we must continue to address,” Dobrindt said.

Autonomous convoy to supply troops that aren’t there

July 24, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Hi-tech, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

This will help reduce risk to non-existent personnel back home as well.

Rheinmetall to Lead German Autonomous Supply Convoy Program – Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles has taken over management of the latest phase of Germany’s Interoperable Robotic Convoy (InterRoC) research program, advancing efforts to develop autonomous military logistics technologies.

Known as InterRoC VII, the program aims to enable different military vehicles to operate together in autonomous convoys with minimal human intervention.

Once a left-wing workers’ district…

July 15, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Always a left-wing workers’ district.

Berlin’s “Red Wedding” is still concerned about German militarization (some call it self-defense) in a Germany that has a military about the size of a large American city’s police force.

Germans protest Rheinmetall’s plans for Berlin arms factory – One of Germany’s biggest weapons makers, Rheinmetall, has announced plans for a plant in Berlin. Opponents are warning against more German militarization.

Droves of Germans suddenly find religion

July 14, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Young German men.

It came out of nowhere. It’s inexplicable.

Young Germans opt out of military service as Berlin strives to boost army – Almost 6,000 young men apply to be excluded on moral or religious grounds despite ‘conscription lite’ policy.

50,000 drones

July 12, 2026 By in Hard Facts Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Is that a lot?

Germany is funding ⁠50,000 ⁠attack drones for Ukraine, a ⁠source familiar with the matter said, in an order that marks ​one of the biggest known purchases of drones for Kyiv by a Western government…

SHRIKE CATCHES PENTAGON’S EYE – The Shrike, a ⁠low-cost drone that has been deployed in Ukraine since 2023, recently gained prominence overseas.

A ⁠version called Shrike 10-F produced by SkyFall with UK company Skycutter recently topped the leaderboard in the first round of a Pentagon-run competition as part of a $1.1 billion initiative to buy hundreds of thousands of one-way attack drones. Auterion said its software was being used in several entries in the competition.

Reduce Germany’s Middle East presence?

July 11, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Due to the Iran war? I didn’t know Germany even had a Middle East presence.

But I guess 30 guys holed up in a camp on the edge of the Erbil airport counts.

German military to leave base in Erbil, northern Iraq by September, Spiegel reports – German troops are set to withdraw from Erbil, Iraq, by the end of September following a broader effort to reduce Germany’s Middle East presence due to the Iran war.

Longer range, more fun

July 10, 2026 By in Hard Facts Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

Long distance relationships? So far so good.

Germany to buy U.S. Tomahawk missiles as Berlin builds long-range strike capability…

Germany already produces the Taurus cruise missile, but its operational range of roughly 500 kilometers (311 miles) falls well short of that offered by the Tomahawk. Depending on the variant, Tomahawk missiles can reach targets at distances several times greater, providing Germany with a substantially expanded strike envelope while European alternatives remain under development.