Germany Purchases Kamikaze Drones: Budget Committee Slashes Defense Minister's Plans

The Bundestag's Budget Committee has given the green light to a key armament project set to revolutionize the strike capabilities of the Bundeswehr. Lawmakers approved a first tranche of 540 million euros for the purchase of HX-2 type drones, produced by Rheinmetall and Stark Defence. However, this is only a partial success for the defense ministry, as MPs rejected the original 4.1 billion euro plan, deciding to cut long-term commitments by almost half. This limitation stems from concerns over excessive costs and uncertainty regarding the technological maturity of the offered systems. The capital ties of one supplier caused the greatest stir. The start-up Stark Defence is financed by Peter Thiel, raising concerns among some politicians of the governing coalition about Germany's technological autonomy. As a result, the committee imposed "strenge Auflagen" (strict conditions) on the Defense Ministry. The ministry must now regularly report progress on operational testing and drone certification. Each subsequent batch of orders will require separate parliamentary approval, significantly narrowing the freedom of action that Boris Pistorius had planned. Since the end of the Cold War, the Bundeswehr has struggled with underfunding, and the discussion about armed drones was a taboo subject in Germany for over a decade due to ethical concerns. The delivery of the new systems is a top priority for the Lithuanian brigade – the first permanent German unit stationed on the eastern flank of NATO. This investment reflects lessons from the war in Ukraine, where cheap attack drones have become a mass tool for destroying enemy heavy equipment. Simultaneously, diplomatic tensions between Kyiv and Washington are emerging in the background. The United States has issued a warning to Ukraine, demanding a halt to drone attacks on Russian oil terminals to prevent destabilization of global commodity prices and protect American economic interests.