German media speak of a ‘mega deal’, because it almost triples the value of all weapons delivered to Ukraine by Germany to date, about 600 million euros. The Ukrainians have ordered howitzers of the Pantzerhaubitze 2000 type, one of the most modern weapons of its kind, which can hit targets up to 40 kilometers away.
As early as July 13, German Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) is said to have quietly given arms manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) to produce the Ukrainian order. That revealed of the mirror Wednesday on the authority of sources within the government and KMW. The arms manufacturer confirmed the news. Within the government, only anonymous sources confirm the reports to various German media, probably because the issue is sensitive for several reasons.
Headache file
Until now, the Ukrainian army has received weapons from the stocks of the Bundeswehr, but there the bottom of the arsenal is in sight. The material shortages in the German armed forces have been a political headache for years and Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) has warned since the start of the war that the army can no longer defend its own national borders if it gives away its weapons. That is why the government is now focusing on direct deals between Ukraine and the industry.
In addition, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is under international pressure to accelerate the pace of German arms deliveries. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Scholz announced a historic turning point in German defense policy. Due to its own past, Germany was long reluctant to supply weapons to countries at war (although the German arms industry does supply all kinds of undemocratic regimes directly and less directly.) But now Scholz promised generous military support to Ukraine.
ringtausch
This promise took shape, among other things, in the so-called ringtausch, the agreement between Germany and Eastern European NATO partners that countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania would give some of their old Soviet weapons to Ukraine. In return they would receive more modern weapons from the stocks of the Bundeswehr. But according to Poland in particular, Germany is only painfully slow to get over the bridge with these replacement weapons and the weapons on offer are also much more old-fashioned than promised.
The Ukrainian army has already received the ten modern howitzers that they have now ordered from the Bundeswehr. Videos are circulating on social media of soldiers who are wildly enthusiastic about it. Howitzers are like cannons, except they don’t shoot their bullets horizontally, but in a curved trajectory, allowing them to shoot over obstacles.
According to weapons supplier KMW, nothing stands in the way of the start of production. But because this is a large order and raw materials are no longer naturally available on the world market, it will probably take years before all howitzers are delivered. In addition, the German government must again authorize the extradition.