The German Ministry of Defense is considering Ukrainian and Israeli cruise missiles as an alternative to the American Tomahawk for its long-range strike arsenal.
Points of attention
- The German Ministry of Defense is exploring Ukrainian and Israeli cruise missiles as substitutes for the Tomahawk in response to challenges with the American missile system.
- Germany's potential acquisition of Ukrainian 'Flamingo' missiles, known for their long range and cost-effectiveness, could reshape its arsenal and defense capabilities.
Germany may replenish its arsenal with Ukrainian “Flamingo” missiles
This is reported by Politico, which has reviewed the planning documents of the German Ministry of Defense.
According to the publication, the German Ministry of Defense's Armaments Department has contacted the Ukrainian company Fire Point and the Israeli startup Covenant with inquiries regarding their missile products.
The impetus was Trump's decision not to deploy a unit with Tomahawk missiles in Germany, as well as the depletion of American reserves due to the war with Iran.
The Washington Post estimates that in the first weeks of the conflict, the US fired about 850 Tomahawks — a quarter of its entire stockpile. The US Navy will receive only 110 new missiles this year.
Berlin's attempts to buy Tomahawk directly have also stalled — the Pentagon, according to Politico, will not begin the sales process before mid-2026.
The planning documents feature two Ukrainian systems: the Flamingo cruise missile from Fire Point and the Bars medium-range jet drone.
Flamingo has a range of 3,000 km, a warhead weighing 1 ton, and is already hitting targets in Russia. The key advantage is its price: about $500,000 per unit, which is five times cheaper than the Tomahawk.
German IRIS-T manufacturer Diehl Defence is already in talks with Fire Point about possible joint production of the Flamingo in Germany.
According to the documents, Germany is building a multi-level arsenal of long-range strikes:
acquisition of the American Typhon launcher (from 2029);
procurement of inexpensive cruise missiles (from 2027);
development of a high-performance cruise missile together with Britain (2032);
hypersonic glide vehicle, also with Britain (2035).
Fire Point previously announced new FP-7 and FP-9 ballistic missiles, as well as the Freya missile defense system, which is being developed jointly with Diehl Defence.
