Germany to deploy Patriot air defence systems to Türkiye
A Patriot system in Poland. (Bundeswehr/Jane Schmidt)
The German Ministry of Defence announced on its website on 20 May 2026 that Germany plans to deploy a Patriot air and missile defence task force to Türkiye from the end of June to September 2026.
The task force will consist of a fire unit and 150 personnel from the Luftwaffe's Flugabwehrraketengeschwader (Surface-to-Air Missile Wing) 1 based in Husum, northern Germany, replacing a US unit. A Patriot fire unit consists of a fire control post, a multifunctional radar system, up to eight launchers, a power supply system, and a microwave radio relay team with an antenna mast, supported by staff and support personnel. The German unit will become part of the NATO integrated air and missile defence system, operating with Turkish and US allies in Türkiye.
The deployment is not unique, following similar taskings conducted by the Luftwaffe over the last decade. During NATO Operation ‘Active Fence', the service deployed Patriots to Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye, from 2013 to 2015. Luftwaffe Patriot units were also deployed to Slovakia in 2022-2023, Poland in 2023, and to protect the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2023. In 2025, Luftwaffe Patriot units were deployed to protect the logistics hub in Rzeszów, Poland, that supplies military equipment and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
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Germany deploys Patriot air-defence systems to Poland
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