The Bundeswehr is negotiating the purchase of armed drones!

Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (57, SPD) said yesterday during a visit to the troops in Lüneburg when asked by BILD: “Contract negotiations to arm our drones are already underway.”

► In the future, Bundeswehr drones may also be used for targeted destruction or assassination. In April, the Budget Committee approved €150 million to equip the Heron TP drone with special precision-guided missiles.

The minister also inspected a surveillance drone at the “Reconnaissance Training Battalion 3”.

The Defense Minister’s visit was also an early farewell: in 2023, a large number of soldiers will be transferred from Lüneburg to Mali (UN mission).

inefficient purchases

Despite the purchase of modern drones, the troop acquisition system is repeatedly criticized. Reason: Weapons projects are regularly delayed for many years, with exploding costs.

► The delivery of new helicopters in 2019 was already 134 months behind the original schedule (additional costs: €1.3 billion). But there are also problems with the replenishment of supposedly simple items.

An example: In her current military report, military commissioner Eva Högl (53) reported on the attempt to order an activity badge for military intelligence. Eight months passed until the process was included in the “numerical index for materials management in the clothing department” and therefore received the so-called “item master data number” in order to start the acquisition.

It then had to be “pushed in the right place” to get approval from the BAAINBW (Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the German Armed Forces).

More than a year later, they were still waiting for the badge. The reason: a “material shortage in the non-ferrous metals sector for which the Bundeswehr is not responsible.”

Too often, the funds do not reach the troops. The simplest daily necessities, such as warm underwear or backpacks, are missing.