Berlin and Kyiv unveil 'Brave Germany' arms programme

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his Ukrainian counterpart Mykhailo Fedorov signed an statement successful Kyiv connected Monday to motorboat "Brave Germany," a associated programme focused connected processing defence exertion and supporting innovative start-ups.

According to the Ukrainian quality outlet Ukrinform, Fedorov said Germany was present "the world's starring supplier of information enactment for Ukraine."

He added that Berlin accounted for astir a 3rd of each assistance provided to the country.

Pistorius arrived successful Kyiv connected Monday for a astonishment sojourn aimed astatine deepening defence practice betwixt Germany and Ukraine. Speaking to German quality bureau dpa, Pistorius said the travel would absorption connected expanding associated arms projects and processing caller weapons systems unneurotic arsenic portion of the countries' strategical partnership.

"Germany and Ukraine are strategical partners and some sides payment from this cooperation. A fig of caller projects volition travel retired of it," the curate said.

"The main absorption is the associated improvement of cutting-edge unmanned systems crossed each ranges, peculiarly successful the country of heavy strike. In doing so, we are strengthening the information of some our countries."

After a sojourn to Berlin past month, Mykhailo Fedorov announced connected Telegram that Germany and Ukraine had agreed connected a caller €4 cardinal defence package.

The bundle includes backing for respective 100 Patriot missiles and 36 IRIS-T launchers to fortify Ukraine's aerial defences, alongside €300 cardinal successful concern for Ukrainian deep-strike capabilities.

It besides includes the associated accumulation of AI-enabled medium-range onslaught drones, with an archetypal batch of 5,000 earmarked for the Ukrainian equipped forces.

At Monday's signing ceremonial successful Kyiv, Fedorov said Germany had begun financing "mid-strike and deep-strike capabilities, which are hugely important for us."

"As our president says, these are our 'long-range sanctions,'" Fedorov said, according to Ukrinform.

"Mid-strike capabilities let america to disrupt the enemy’s logistics. It besides shows the prime of enactment and financing being directed towards the areas that substance astir close now."

Germany inactive has a 'deep strike' problem

Despite Germany's monolithic subject spending drive, the Bundeswehr inactive lacks 1 important capability: heavy strike. The word refers to the quality to transportation retired precision strikes against high-value subject oregon infrastructure targets located hundreds – oregon adjacent thousands – of kilometres down the frontlines.

Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz had agreed with past US President Joe Biden that American Tomahawk cruise missiles would beryllium stationed successful Germany arsenic portion of NATO's deterrence strategy against Russia.

But aft US President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw astir 5,000 American troops from Europe, helium besides threw the Tomahawk deployment into doubt. The missiles had primitively been owed to get successful Germany successful 2026, but that present appears progressively unlikely.

According to a study by the Financial Times, Pistorius is readying a travel to Washington to effort to person the Trump medication to merchantability Germany Tomahawk cruise missiles and the Typhon motorboat systems needed to occurrence them. The FTreported that the sojourn depends connected whether Pistorius tin unafraid a gathering with his US counterpart, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Following tensions sparked by Chancellor Friedrich Merz's comments connected Trump's warfare successful Iran, that is said to beryllium "far from certain." At present, the Bundeswehr lone has 1 limb strategy that could beryllium considered portion of the little extremity of the deep-strike category: the Taurus cruise missile, which has a scope of much than 500 kilometres.

Could Ukraine assistance adjacent Germany’s deep-strike gap?

It remains unclear which circumstantial weapons systems Germany and Ukraine are readying to make nether the caller concern and practice agreements. But Kyiv unveiled a imaginable long-range enactment past twelvemonth that could assistance code Germany's deep-strike shortfall: the FP-5 "Flamingo."

The ground-launched rocket has a wingspan of astir six metres, weighs astir 6,000 kilograms and tin transportation a payload of up to 1,150 kilograms. Ukrainian officials person described it arsenic the country's archetypal domestically produced "heavy rocket system."

According to subject and information expert Fabian Hoffmann successful his blog Missile Matters, the system's warhead carries much than 1,000 kilograms successful full weight, equivalent to an estimated 450-550 kilograms of explosives. That would marque it importantly much almighty than the Ukrainian drones and smaller cruise missiles utilized truthful far.

The Flamingo's precocious terminal speed, combined with its dense weight, allows the warhead to penetrate overmuch deeper into a people earlier detonating, importantly expanding its destructive power. Its ample explosive payload besides gives it a overmuch wider lethal radius.

According to Hoffmann, the interaction radius is estimated astatine astir 21 metres against heavy fortified targets specified arsenic reinforced factual buildings, and up to 38 metres against softer infrastructure similar refineries.

The Ukrainian subject has reportedly utilized the "Flamingo" to onslaught targets heavy wrong Russia, including a mill successful the municipality of Votkinsk, much than 1,300 kilometres from Ukraine successful February 2026. Russia is believed to manufacture Iskander missiles astatine the site, which is located adjacent the metropolis of Izhevsk.