Germany considers acquiring land-based Tomahawk cruise missiles – media reports

The Tomahawk, which remains in active production, meets Germany’s operational requirements with a range exceeding 2,000 kilometres. The war in Ukraine has underscored the importance of long-range precision weapons, particularly in striking key military infrastructure such as command centres, ammunition depots, and airbases.

Several European NATO members are also pursuing their own long-range strike capabilities. In July 2024, defence ministers from France, the United Kingdom, Poland, Germany, Italy, and Sweden signed the European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA) agreement. The initiative aims to develop a European-produced land-based missile system with a range of 1,000 to 2,000 kilometres.

Existing missile systems available in Europe do not fully meet the criteria set by the ELSA programme, Hartpunkt reports. Some options lack sufficient range, while others do not have a land-based variant or will not be operational for several years. Acquiring Tomahawks would allow Germany to maintain necessary capabilities until a European alternative is developed.

A separate agreement between Germany and the United States, announced in July 2024, includes plans for the rotational deployment of U.S. long-range missile systems on German territory, with the possibility of a permanent presence in the future. However, it remains uncertain whether the current administration of U.S. President Donald Trump will proceed with these plans as initially outlined.

According to the report, Germany could potentially receive a U.S. Army Typhon system, which is capable of launching Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles. In the future, a battery equipped with Dark Eagle hypersonic missiles may also be deployed, though its development is still ongoing.