Germany eyes future of warfare with AI robots, spy cockroaches as defence tech surges

Germany is undergoing a historic transformation in defence strategy, driven by emerging threats and a shifting global order.

With Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government committed to nearly tripling the defence budget to €162 billion by 2029, Berlin is embracing high-tech innovation—ranging from battlefield AI and drones to bioengineered surveillance insects, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

“For Gundbert Scherf, co-founder of Helsing, Europe’s most valuable defence start-up, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed everything.” Once struggling to attract funding, Helsing recently doubled its valuation to $12 billion. “Europe is now coming to terms with defense,” Scherf said, comparing the current momentum to the Manhattan Project.

The shift is dramatic for a country long shaped by postwar pacifism and U.S. security guarantees. “He told me: ‘Money is no longer an excuse – it’s there now.’ That was a turning point,” said ARX Robotics CEO Marc Wietfeld, recalling a meeting with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.

The German government is slashing bureaucracy and integrating startups directly into military planning. A new procurement law will make advance payments to small firms and restrict tenders to EU-based bidders.

Companies like Swarm Biotactics are developing cutting-edge tools like cyborg cockroaches fitted with neural stimulation and real-time surveillance gear. “Our bio-robots – based on living insects – are equipped with neural stimulation, sensors, and secure communication modules,” said CEO Stefan Wilhelm.

Sven Weizenegger of the Bundeswehr’s Cyber Innovation Hub noted that social stigma around defence work is fading: “Germany has developed a whole new openness towards the issue of security since the invasion.”

Germany’s pivot to innovation could also boost its flagging economy. “A strong defence industrial base means a strong economy and innovation on steroids,” said Markus Federle of Tholus Capital.

Venture funding for European defence tech hit $1 billion in 2024, with German startups like Quantum Systems and Donaustahl leading the charge. “The startups just need the brains to do the engineering and prototyping,” said Donaustahl CEO Stefan Thumann. “And the German Mittelstand will be their muscles.”

By Vafa Guliyeva