German Defence Procurement  Germany Allocates €150 Million Toward Fast-Track Strike & Reconnaissance Drone Capability 

Germany’s Bundestag Budget Committee has earmarked €150 million to rapidly procure an initial AI-optimized reconnaissance and effect (strike) drone network for Panzerbrigade 45, currently stationed in Lithuania, with full operational capability targeted for 2027. The move underscores Berlin’s urgency to close capability gaps in national and NATO defence under increasingly contested conditions.

As part of the 2025 budget, the Bundestag’s Budget Committee insists that a contract be signed in 2025 to allow deliveries to begin in 2026, with training of personnel running in parallel. The new capability aims to ensure intelligence, reconnaissance, and strike (effect) superiority over an operational area of approximately 100 × 100 km. While reconnaissance, leadership and communications infrastructure will eventually form part of the wider architecture, the first procurement phase likely focuses on the strike or effect component.

System Requirements & Operational Parameters

According to parliamentary deliberations and analysis, the systems must be AI-optimized to support advanced functions such as target acquisition and sensor fusion, but without crossing into fully autonomous decision-making for lethal operations. They must withstand challenging operational conditions, including electromagnetic interference and disrupted communication or navigation environments. The strike drones or loitering munitions must carry warheads capable of defeating well-armoured vehicles, reflecting the high-threat context on NATO’s eastern flank. Furthermore, the required endurance or range must enable operations across roughly 100 km, both to cover the designated operational area and to offer tactical flexibility.

Possible Platform Candidates

Several platforms have emerged as likely candidates. For reconnaissance, Rheinmetall’s HUSAR (also known as LUNA NG/B) and Quantum Systems’ FALKE drones are existing systems offering partially aligned capabilities. For effect and strike roles, German manufacturers Helsing (HX-2), STARK (OWE-V / Virtus), and Rheinmetall (FV-014) have been highlighted. The latter was presented at DSEI 2025, with specifications suggesting 60 minutes of endurance and precision strikes at up to 100 km even in contested electromagnetic environments.

Implications & Challenges

The Bundestag’s decision marks a clear political consensus to accelerate Germany’s acquisition of strike drone capabilities for national and alliance defence (Landes- und Bündnisverteidigung). It reflects the recognition that modern battlefields—particularly along NATO’s Eastern frontier—require rapid reaction, extended operational reach, and resilient systems. Yet several challenges remain: procurement and certification timelines are tight, operational doctrine for AI support vs. autonomy must be clarified, and logistics as well as sustainment concepts for forward-deployed units need to be defined early. Another unresolved issue is the trade-off between the number of systems procured and the level of performance or technological sophistication within the €150 million budget.

With contracts expected in 2025, deliveries in 2026, and readiness planned for 2027, Panzerbrigade 45 is set to become a spearhead formation in Germany’s modernised forward posture. Additional procurement phases are anticipated in future budgets, expanding the network’s reconnaissance, effect, and command-and-control capabilities as the Bundeswehr gains operational experience with the initial systems and integration architecture.