FT: Germany seeks expanded US weapons production to strengthen Europe's defence

Germany is seeking to expand the joint production of U.S. weapons on German soil as part of efforts to strengthen Europe's defence capabilities and encourage continued American engagement in the continent's security, according to people familiar with the discussions cited by the Financial Times.

The talks focus on developing "joint production concepts" involving German and U.S. defence companies, with discussions covering a broad range of military equipment aimed at addressing shared defence needs.

According to sources, the proposals include the co-production of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles and PAC-3 interceptors, the most advanced missiles used by the Patriot air defence system.

Germany's Defence Ministry told the Financial Times that cooperation between German and U.S. defence industries is already "intensive and well-established." It pointed to Rheinmetall's production of fuselages for Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jets and a joint MBDA-Raytheon facility that manufactures PAC-2 and GEM-T Patriot missiles.

One person familiar with the plans said the German government has also been in contact with the German subsidiary of European missile manufacturer MBDA about partnering with U.S.-based Raytheon to produce a land-based version of the Tomahawk cruise missile. The missile has a range of more than 2,000 kilometres.

Berlin's efforts come as it seeks to address potential gaps in NATO's deterrence capabilities amid concerns that the United States could reduce its military presence in Europe while shifting more resources toward the Indo-Pacific and the Western Hemisphere.

German officials were particularly concerned by the Pentagon's decision in May to cancel the planned deployment to Germany of a battalion equipped with land-based Tomahawk missile systems. The deployment had been proposed under the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden as part of NATO's response to Russia's deployment of cruise missiles and combat aircraft in the Kaliningrad exclave.

Since then, Germany has explored several options to acquire Tomahawk missiles, including renewing a request first submitted a year earlier to purchase the system directly from the United States. A German government official said discussions over a potential sale remain ongoing.

Berlin is also evaluating alternative long-range strike capabilities, including Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missile and other comparable systems, according to the report.

By Sabina Mammadli