The German armed forces will acquire armed remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles to assist them in their missions after the green light of the competent committee of the Bundestag, the lower house of the federal parliament, the Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday.
Heron TP aircraft can perform missions for intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as launching missiles. Their purchase has been a hot potato in the country for years, but was approved amid Germany’s rearmament following a decision by Chancellor Olaf Solz’s government amid Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
Marie-Anies Strack-Zimmermann, head of the Bundestag’s defense committee, said she was “more than happy” about the decision. UAVs “gather information”, but their pilots “must also be prepared to defend soldiers in the field” and “therefore it is necessary to carry weapons”.
The Ministry of Defense expects to spend 152.6 million euros for the acquisition of about 140 such aircraft from Israel, 60 of which will be used for training with the remaining 80 intended for use in the field.
The fund also includes the purchase of other equipment, pilot training, infrastructure preparation and flight simulators.
The purchase of armed UAVs is subject to the approval of the Israeli government.
There were disagreements. Die Linke’s Janine Whistler said the German government appeared to be obsessed with buying military equipment, adding that “placing weapons in UAVs is not intended to protect lives, but to kill people”.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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