Germany: Bundestag budget committee approves €50 billion funding for 30 Bundeswehr modernisation projects

Approval by the Bundestag for Bundeswehr modernisation projects exceeding €25 million remains a standard procedure. Attempts in recent years to change this process, including raising the approval threshold, were ultimately unsuccessful.

Among the most significant approved projects is the planned purchase of additional Puma infantry fighting vehicles. The decision concerns financing for 200 Puma S1 vehicles, alongside 50 already ordered, at an estimated cost of around €4.2 billion, as well as simulators, ammunition and further modernisation measures.

The approval for further Puma purchases is conditional and depends on the Army demonstrating that the S1 variant is free of previously identified defects and meets operational readiness standards. It also requires a detailed assessment of the planned S2 modernisation programme’s compatibility with Bundeswehr planning.

Funding was also approved for the procurement of self-propelled artillery for medium artillery units. The Bundeswehr may order up to 84 RCH 155 self-propelled howitzers for just over €1 billion, with deliveries planned between 2028 and 2030.

Four of these systems will be prototypes, including one intended for the United Kingdom, while the programme will be preceded by a framework agreement for up to 500 RCH 155 systems with the ARTEC consortium. A further contract for 149 howitzers is expected next year, bringing the planned total to 229 guns for German medium artillery.

The committee also approved the procurement of 218 CAVS wheeled armoured vehicles under the international Common Armoured Vehicle System programme. Valued at €747 million, the programme includes an advance payment to start production in Germany and will involve German companies alongside project leader Patria Land Oy of Finland.

The vehicles, designated Transportpanzer NG in Germany, will replace the TPz 1 Fuchs and be delivered between 2026 and 2029. Initial vehicles will be delivered in a Swedish configuration for testing and training, with German assembly lines starting deliveries in 2028.

Funding was further approved for several thousand Eagle V armoured vehicles from General Dynamics European Land Systems. An initial tranche of around 3,000 vehicles, including more than 300 in the 6×6 configuration, will be financed at a cost of €4.8 billion.

The committee also authorised the start of funding for the FASER programme, which is planned to run from 2026 to 2035 at a cost of €21 billion. The project aims to equip 460,000 soldiers and 80,000 civilian employees with modern personal equipment, subject to conditions linked to personnel planning.

Additional approvals include funding for PAC-3 MSE and IRIS-T SLM surface-to-air missiles, Meteor air-to-air missiles, the SPOCK satellite radar system, upgrades to electronic warfare systems on Type 123 frigates and the procurement of various unmanned systems. These measures form part of the broader effort to modernise the Bundeswehr across land, air, sea and space domains.