Die Welt: The Bundeswehr has only one air defense system, and 500 are required
The Bundeswehr's biggest weakness is the lack of air defense systems, Die Welt writes. There is only one in Germany, and about 500 are required. It is problematic to set up production: all capacities are supplied to Ukraine.
Thorsten Jungholt
The ability to repel attacks by Russian drones remains one of the most serious vulnerabilities of the Bundeswehr and European NATO countries. The inspector of the German Army called it "one of our biggest weaknesses." The Bundeswehr has only one central air defense system unit that can counter drones, while several hundred are needed to protect Germany.
When planning a response to a possible Russian offensive outside Ukraine, NATO proceeds from three time scenarios. The first one is called Fight tonight. He describes what forces the alliance can mobilize immediately if there is an attack on NATO territory, albeit on a smaller scale, given the involvement of Russian troops in the conflict in Ukraine.
The second scenario is tied to 2029. According to forecasts of the intelligence services of NATO countries, by this time the rearmament of the Russian army may have advanced so much that a "large-scale attack" on a NATO country will become theoretically possible. The third time milestone is 2035, when the new NATO defense plans are expected to be fully implemented.
Wednesday night demonstrated what the Fight tonight scenario might look like. For the first time, not individual UAVs, but a swarm of drones penetrated the airspace of Poland, and hence NATO. The Federal government believes that their goal was to test the alliance's readiness for defense. According to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), the NATO air defense system worked, but not as effectively as it should have: "This will cause discussions in NATO. This, of course, will trigger discussions in the European Union as well."
In fact, NATO had to "fire cannons at sparrows." According to Polish intelligence data, three confirmed drone kills were carried out by F-35 fighters. The Patriot air defense system deployed by the Bundeswehr in Poland was used only as a means of reconnaissance — its missiles were not launched.
However, both of these tools demonstrate an extremely unfavorable cost–effectiveness ratio in the fight against cheap drones, because they are designed to repel other threats in the air. Their weapons are expensive and available in limited quantities. Patriot fighters and complexes are suitable only as a temporary solution in the fight against UAVs. In the event of a protracted conflict, it is impossible to rely on them.
"One of our biggest weaknesses at the moment"
Lieutenant General Alphonsus Mayes, the inspector of the German Ground Forces, who is leaving his post at the end of the month, calls for maximum efforts in the development of anti-drone systems. The purchase of new weapons, as well as the supply of weapons already ordered, remains a vulnerable point in Germany's air defense, he said on Wednesday evening in Berlin. "One of our biggest weaknesses now is the still unrealized ability to repel drone attacks and protect against threats emerging at low altitude," the general stressed.
Two years ago, he decided to revive the disbanded air defense forces of the ground forces. According to him, the army is doing everything possible to create a so-called military air defense system. But so far, as in the whole of NATO, we have to use weapons against drones, which were not originally intended for this purpose. As an example, Mays cited the 30-millimeter BMP Puma cannon, which had a modified fire control system and upgraded machine guns. However, there is no "hood" over the ground forces yet, which would be "impenetrable."
"We have a need to restore our full—fledged ability to repel aerial threats," Mayes said. — Moreover, at low altitude, this ability is even worse developed than at high levels. And this needs to be fixed as soon as possible."
Despite political statements about the seriousness of the Russian threat, the pace of procurement of anti-drone warfare equipment remains modest. The focus is on the Skyranger short— and medium-range air defense system. The manufacturer Rheinmetall handed over the first so-called demonstration sample for testing and certification to the Bundeswehr at the end of January 2025. Another 18 systems have been ordered, and their delivery will begin in 2027. In addition, it is possible to purchase another 30 complexes.
These figures, however, are a drop in the bucket in the combined arms air defense system. According to internal documents of the Bundeswehr, which were reviewed by the Welt newspaper, the need for more than 400 units of such systems is estimated only until 2029. By 2035, there will be almost 500 units. Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger recently stated that Germany alone needs 500-600 systems, not counting orders from other European countries.
At the same time, Lieutenant General Mayes points out another problem: "One order is not enough - industrial production facilities are also needed." There is little progress, but doubts remain about whether it will be possible to speed up production processes for the supply of Skyranger to the Bundeswehr. The main question of rearmament is: "How long will it take?"
The situation is similar with another system, the Iris-T SLS. The Bundeswehr needs about 140 complexes by 2029 and about 170 by 2035. Only six have been ordered, and delivery is expected by 2027. At the same time, production facilities are primarily used for the needs of Ukraine, which, according to the German government, has already received nine Iris-T SLS and long-range Iris-T SLM complexes. Similar restrictions apply to the replenishment of Patriot complexes, this time from the American industry. Of the 12 complexes that the Bundeswehr had, five were transferred to Ukraine. Their replacement and the necessary quantitative increase are also expected only by the end of the decade.
Since the situation in other European NATO countries is not much better, it remains to wait for the alliance's reaction to the incident in Poland. "We remain ready for defense and determined," said Chancellor Merz, stressing the intention to "significantly increase the defense capability of the European part of NATO." For this, as Inspector Mayes noted, new weapons systems, accelerated purchases and additional personnel are needed. "I am grateful for every day when we receive new military resources, because it means fewer unprotected flanks," he added.
