Germany Wants to Purchase Ukrainian Cruise Missiles – Business Insider
The German Ministry of Defense is expressing interest in purchasing low-cost, long-range cruise missiles from defense companies in Ukraine and Israel. This move became an urgent necessity for Berlin after U.S. President Donald Trump reversed the Biden administration’s previous decision to deploy a U.S. unit equipped with Tomahawk missiles on German territory.
According to published reports, the Bundeswehr’s armaments directorate is carefully reviewing proposals from smaller private companies capable of rapidly scaling up mass production. The documents mention two systems directly linked to the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex: the Flamingo cruise missile from Fire Point, as well as BARS—a medium-range hybrid missile-drone system from another, currently unnamed Ukrainian manufacturer.
In addition, the Israeli company Covenant is participating in the competition. The participation of two Ukrainian developers simultaneously in the competition for a major European defense contract is a first in history and signals a significant technological breakthrough for Kyiv.
Germany’s strategy for building sovereign capabilities to conduct deep ground strikes is designed to unfold in four consecutive phases:
Acquisition of Typhon (2029): procurement of American ground-based launchers capable of firing long-range Tomahawk missiles.
Procurement of low-cost missiles (2027): integration of inexpensive long-range systems (Ukrainian and Israeli developers are vying for this slot) to enable massive strikes and wear down the enemy’s air defense.
European cruise missile (2032): a long-term joint project with the United Kingdom to develop a new generation of high-tech missile weapons.
Hypersonic Weapons (2035): a joint development project with the British to create a state-of-the-art hypersonic glide vehicle.
In response to a query from journalists, an official spokesperson for the German Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the names of specific companies or systems but confirmed a shift in the ministry’s philosophy. He emphasized that the experience of the war in Ukraine has clearly demonstrated that the ability to strike strategic targets deep behind enemy lines is a fundamental prerequisite for effectively deterring an aggressor. The ministry added that cost-effective missile systems have tremendous operational value, as their sheer volume ensures they can overwhelm and penetrate the enemy’s dense air defense systems.
This was reported by Business Insider, citing internal planning documents from the German defense ministry and its own sources among government officials and representatives of the military-industrial complex.
Ukrainian defense companies state that the main challenge to their integration into the European defense market is not technology or competition, but the excessively complex bureaucratic procedures in the EU. Representatives of Fire Point emphasized this during the Eurosatory-2026 international exhibition, highlighting the difference in decision-making speed between Ukraine and Europe.
