DefenceTalkGermany’s Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen has urged NATO states to adhere to the two-percent target for military spending. She was speaking on the 60th anniversary of West Germany joining the alliance. Speaking in Berlin on Tuesday, von der Leyen warned the NATO members against fixating purely on the target of spending two percent […]https://www.defencetalk.com/german-minister-calls-for-more-nato-defense-spending-64764/

DefenceTalkRheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) formally handed over the Puma infantry fighting vehicle to the German Bundeswehr today, the most advanced system of its kind anywhere. One of the world’s most ambitious projects in the field of army technology thus enters the utilization phase. The Bundeswehr’s fielding of the Puma IFV gives its mechanized infantry […]https://www.defencetalk.com/puma-infantry-fighting-vehicle-enters-bundeswehr-service-64656/

DefenceTalkDRAWSKO POMORSKIE TRAINING AREA, Poland: Standing in an open field, a sea of Soldiers salute four different flags flying side-by-side. Despite being from different countries, the raising of the flags represents the beginning of a historic training exercise amongst allies. U.S., Polish, German and Danish Soldiers gathered for the opening ceremony of Saber Strike 15, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/exercise-saber-strike-15-begins-in-poland-64444/

DefenceTalkRheinmetall is set to play an important role in developing a new wheeled armored vehicle for the Polish armed forces. Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH (RMMV) has just signed a cooperation agreement with Polish defence contractor Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA (PGZ) and its subsidiary Obrum sp. z o.o. The centrepiece of the cooperation agreement is […]https://www.defencetalk.com/rheinmetall-teams-with-polish-partner-to-develop-new-wheeled-armored-vehicle-64337/

DefenceTalkGermany and France are considering cooperation on developing a successor to the tank “Leopard 2.” The current model has been in service since 1979, and aging Bundeswehr equipment is currently in stark focus. The German Defense Ministry announced its plans for the “Leo 3” (as it’s likely to be nicknamed in Germany) in a report […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-france-to-jointly-develop-leopard-3-tank-64276/

DefenceTalkThe “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (SZ), a leading German national daily, reported on Friday that Berlin’s defense ministry had decided to purchase the Medium Extended Air Defense System (Meads) developed by US defense giant Lockheed Martin in cooperation with German MBDA and Italian companies. The defense ministry has, however, so far declined to confirm the report, saying […]https://www.defencetalk.com/german-defense-reportedly-decides-on-meads-missile-defense-system-64225/

DefenceTalkParis: Britain, Germany and Turkey said Sunday they were temporarily grounding their Airbus A400M military transport planes after one crashed near Seville airport in southern Spain during a test flight. France, which has six of the planes, said it would only carry out “top priority flights” with A400M until more facts emerge on what caused […]https://www.defencetalk.com/britain-germany-and-turkey-ground-a400-military-planes-64145/

DefenceTalkIsrael signed a deal on Monday to buy four navy patrol boats from Germany’s ThyssenKrupp to protect its offshore gas installations, Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said. The deal, valued at 430 million euros ($480 million), will significantly improve the navy’s ability to protect natural gas fields in the Mediterranean. “This morning, we signed a contract […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israel-to-buy-four-patrol-boats-from-germany-64129/

DefenceTalkFollowing painstaking development work, intensive testing by the country’s WTD technical centers, month after month of gruelling operation in conditions of extreme heat and cold abroad, and multiple field trials conducted by soldiers of the German Bundeswehr, the Puma infantry fighting vehicle project has passed another important milestone. The Koblenz-based Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/puma-infantry-fighting-vehicle-enters-service-with-bundeswehr-64122/

DefenceTalkGerman Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Tuesday that the issue of whether Germany should pay reparations to Greece for the Nazi occupation during World War II had been settled, while not denying the country’s moral responsibility. Athens’ new radical leftist government has stepped up pressure on Berlin over the emotional and controversial issue of war […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germanys-schaeuble-insists-greece-war-payments-settled-64111/