Rheinmetall to supply the Bundeswehr with kamikaze drones from 2027

Tank-cracking crashers Rheinmetall Kamikaze Drones Go to the Bundeswehr

2026-04-26 Source: dpa 2 min Reading Time

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Rheinmetall is said to be supplying the Bundeswehr with drones that will circle over the target area as loitering munitions and then automatically dive onto a target when one is spotted.

The FV-014 from Rheinmetall will provide the Bundeswehr with an inexpensive means of defence from next year. Although the system is referred to as a kamikaze drone, it is actually airworthy ammunition for single use. Now it is going into series production ...(Source: Rheinmetall) — The FV-014 from Rheinmetall will provide the Bundeswehr with an inexpensive means of defence from next year. Although the system is referred to as a kamikaze drone, it is actually airworthy ammunition for single use. Now it is going into series production ...
(Source: Rheinmetall)

The Bundeswehr Procurement Office in Koblenz has signed a contract worth over 300 million euros with Rheinmetall for kamikaze drones. However, the number of drones involved remains a secret. Delivery is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2027. Incidentally, the smart killer missiles will be manufactured in Neuss. The order for the FV-014 drone model is also based on a framework agreement which, according to insiders, has an estimated volume of one billion euros. In total, a 5-digit number of drones are involved. Incidentally, competitors Stark and Helsing have similar framework agreements and have already received orders, which is why Rheinmetall should be seen as a latecomer. The tank builder and ammunition manufacturer also had to develop the drone from scratch and convince the market. The drones are equipped with explosives or armor-piercing shaped charges for the above-mentioned purpose, which can penetrate around 600 millimeters of homogeneous armor and also cause fragmentation. However, they can also be used for reconnaissance purposes only.

Bundeswehr can react faster with loitering ammunition

Strictly speaking, they are not actually drones at all, because they are ammunition, as these weapon systems are only intended for one-off use. For Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, everything went well: "With the FV-014, the Bundeswehr will receive another weapon system with which it can protect its own forces and engage critical targets quickly, in a controlled and effective manner!" Rheinmetall will soon be able to produce the system in large quantities on an industrial scale. Incidentally, the drones have a maximum range of 100 kilometers and their warhead weighs around four kilograms including the firing device. They can stay in the air for up to 70 minutes while observing potential targets. The flying robots are also produced entirely in the EU. Loitering ammunition is an advantage for the German armed forces because it allows them to react more quickly and engage enemy targets more precisely. Last but not least, the range is greater than that of fired artillery shells.

meropslauncher-2720x1530v1 (Source: Polish Armed Forces)

Innovation clauses prevent systems from becoming obsolete

The flyable ammunition is shot upwards from a container with an ignition device. Once in the air, they deploy and fly on. Landing and reuse is, as mentioned, not planned. Once time has run out and no target has been found, the systems are allowed to crash in a controlled manner, according to a Rheinmetall spokesperson. What is important with this type of weapon is the implemented software, which must always be continuously developed further, as is emphasised. The contracts with the drone suppliers therefore contain innovation clauses, according to the Bundeswehr. These clauses oblige the manufacturers to always keep the systems up to date; without such a clause, the systems purchased today could be ineffective in just a few months because the potential enemy could have already taken countermeasures.

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