German of the day: Langstreckenraketen

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.

German of the day: Geheimes Waffendepot

That means secret weapons depot.

Secret Weapons Depot Discovered Near Berlin – According to reports from WDR, NDR, and SZ, security authorities have discovered a hideout containing two loaded weapons on the outskirts of Berlin. Authorities believe it was a depot used by Russian agents for potential attacks.

It must have been like a scene from a spy thriller when German officials made an explosive discovery in late summer of last year in a wooded area on the state border between Brandenburg and Berlin. According to reports from WDR, NDR, and the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), they found a professionally constructed hideout containing two loaded firearms in the capital’s affluent suburban belt.

“Spying rules?”

Rules for spies?

Like a “friends don’t spy on friends” kinda rule?

German cabinet approves new spying rules – Germany’s cabinet approved new rules for its spies Wednesday to lift World War II-era restrictions on offensive cyber operations, sabotage, and espionage.

The changes augur a “revolution” in Berlin’s intelligence infrastructure, the German interior minister said, fueled by a growing perception across Europe that the threat of Russian sabotage and influence operations is increasing as Moscow’s battlefield position deteriorates.

German of the day: Neuer Gefahrenqualität

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.

50,000 drones

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.

Longer range, more fun

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.

German of the day: Luftabwehr

That means air defense.

Germany expands missile defense network with second Israeli Arrow 3 site – The Arrow 3, one of Israel’s most advanced air defense systems, is capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at altitudes of over 100 km. and with a reported range of up to 2,400 km…

The Bundeswehr announced on June 30 that the second Arrow air defense battery site would be in the greater Kaufbeuren area of Bavaria and will house the ELM-2080 Green Pine Block C radar to detect and track threats.

The second location would complement the initial battery located at Fliegerhorst Holzdorf/Schönewalde, south of the capital of Berlin. That battery was the first time the system had been deployed outside of Israel.

Made in Germany

Germany doesn’t have to come back.

It never left in the first place. Not when it comes to war technology.

AI drones made in Germany see duty on Ukraine’s front line – The German defense company Helsing is supplying combat drones to Ukraine and will soon provide them to the Bundeswehr.

In a forested strip, two Ukrainian soldiers — a technician and an electrician — attach wings to a large black box. The kit is an HX-2 combat drone from the German manufacturer Helsing, equipped with artificial intelligence.

The billion-dollar startup from Bavaria is supplying thousands of these to the Ukrainian military, funded by the German government. Germany’s armed forces have also recently awarded Helsing a multimillion-euro contract.

“Diplomatically awkward”

The truth often is.

Nord Stream blast ordered by Ukraine, say German prosecutors – German prosecutors believe the Ukrainian national suspected of sabotaging Baltic Sea gas pipelines in 2022 acted “on the orders of state authorities in Ukraine…”

Germany is one of the biggest military backers of Ukraine in its battle against the ongoing Russian invasion, making the incident potentially diplomatically awkward. Before the war, Germany covered a considerable part of its energy needs with fuel and gas from Russia.