Germany is set to buy Tomahawk missiles to plug an urgent gap in its defence, in spite of a European Union drive to lessen dependence on American weapon systems. The deal comes after a Franco-German tank maker's stock market listing stalled and a flagship European fighter jet project collapsed. Can Europe really arm itself, or is autonomy a pipe dream?
Issued on: 12/07/2026 - 09:04
4 min Reading time
Hours after this week’s NATO summit came to a close in Ankara, Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, that the country has agreed a deal with Washington to buy American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles and station them on German soil. The letter of intent, signed by the two countries' defence ministries earlier this week, commits Washington to formal approval by August. It covers an undisclosed number of Tomahawks and ground-based Typhon launchers – made by arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin – without US personnel deployed to operate them. The Tomahawk's range of around 1,600 kilometres is enough to reach deep into Russian territory from Germany.
Donald Trump and Friedrich Merz meet at the White House, 3 March. @ REUTERS - Jonathan Ernst
