DefenceTalkIt’s been a long time since a German vice-chancellor has defied his chancellor – especially over Germany’s booming weapons exports. In Angela Merkel’s previous government, the vice chancellor and economy minister was Philipp Rösler of her “preferred” coalition partner, the neo-liberal Free Democratic Party, a party that rarely stood in the way of lucrative business […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germanys-arms-exports-turn-into-gamesmanship-59323/

DefenceTalkThe Bundeswehr, Rheinmetall and the Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) ELTA Group have successfully tested the MASS and NavGuard ship protection systems. The trials took place under the aegis of the German Navy in Howachter Bay in the Baltic at the end of October 2013. Also taking part in the trials was 2 Company, 92 Mechanized […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-tests-new-mass-and-navguard-ship-protection-systems-59129/

DefenceTalkGermany on Wednesday halted a major deal to provide a fully equipped training camp to Russian forces, saying any arms trading with Moscow was currently “indefensible”. Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel announced the suspension of the Rheinmetall project as Moscow tightened its grip on the flashpoint Crimean peninsula. The German government said in a statement it was […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-halts-major-arms-deal-with-russia-59098/

DefenceTalkAirbus is demanding 900 million euros ($1.2 billion) in compensation from Germany for cancelling an order for a batch of 37 Eurofighter jets, according to a newspaper report Monday. The amount had emerged in a closed-door parliamentary budget meeting last week in which the scrapped fighter-jet order was also reported to lawmakers, said the Handelsblatt […]https://www.defencetalk.com/airbus-wants-money-for-germanys-scrapped-eurofighter-order-report-58853/

DefenceTalkGermany’s defence ministry is planning to reduce its order for Eurofighter jets from 180 to 143, according to media reports on Thursday. National news agency DPA quoted “government sources” as saying that the ministry’s number two, Stephane Beemelmans, had informed parliament’s defence committee about the decision late Wednesday. The reduction had already been decided in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-cuts-order-for-eurofighter-jets-report-58829/

DefenceTalkGermany’s Euro Hawk drone scandal showed no sign of ending on Wednesday, with alternatives for the failed programme running €200 million over budget. It means the military may turn back to the discarded, original plan. The Chief of Staff of the Bundeswehr, Volker Wieker, told a defence committee on Wednesday that the tests on four […]https://www.defencetalk.com/eurohawk-replacements-all-too-costly-bundeswehr-58774/

DefenceTalkCassidian’s new radar for the German Navy’s F125 class frigates has demonstrated its particular reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities during tests in the North Sea and Baltic Sea and during factory acceptance tests. In two test series of several weeks, the TRS-4D naval radar showed an extraordinarily high precision, particularly when detecting small targets such as […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-trs-4d-naval-radar-for-german-f125-frigates-49961/

DefenceTalkSaudi Arabia wants to buy five German submarines for around 2.5 billion euros ($3.4 billion) and more than two dozen more in the future, a newspaper reported Sunday. Citing unidentified government sources, Sunday’s Bild newspaper said Riyadh had its eye initially on buying the five Type 209 submarines, followed long-term by up to 25 submarines […]https://www.defencetalk.com/saudi-arabia-eyes-buying-german-submarines-report-49544/

DefenceTalkThe last 1 Regiment Army Air Corps Lynx helicopter has left Gütersloh in Germany, marking the end of British military flying in the country. The last flight brought an end to a long association with Germany stretching back to 1975 when the regiment first formed up in Lower Saxony. During their time at Gütersloh elements […]https://www.defencetalk.com/end-of-british-military-flying-in-germany-49384/

DefenceTalkGermany: Eurofighter Typhoon has now achieved more than 200,000 flying hours since the entry-into-service of its worldwide fleet. Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH confirmed the milestone today adding that, with 719 aircraft on contract, 571 aircraft ordered and 378 aircraft delivered, the programme has “never looked stronger”. 378 aircraft in service / 7 customers/ 20 operating units […]https://www.defencetalk.com/eurofighter-typhoon-achieves-200000-flying-hours-48990/