21 June 2022

ILA 2022: Aviation the big winner from German defence spending spree

by Gareth Jennings

With Germany set to massively increase its defence spending, aviation projects, such as replacing the Luftwaffe's Tornado aircraft with the F-35 (both seen here at ILA 2022) and additional Eurofighters, are the big winners. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)

Combat aviation across all three of the German armed forces is set to receive the biggest share of a dramatically increased national defence budget.

Announced earlier in 2022 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EUR100 billion (USD107 billion) Söndervermögen (special fund) uplift will see a further EUR33.4 billion specifically committed to air domain projects across the German Air Force, Army, and Navy.

“Some of the projects are already shown in the individual plan 14, [while] some of them will be expanded and transferred to the special fund in 2023,” the Bundeswehr said.

Specific air domain projects included in the EUR33.4 billion comprise the development and procurement of the Eurofighter Electronic Combat Role (ECR) variant, procurement of the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II to partially replace the Panavia Tornado, procurement of the Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopter, procurement of additional H145 light support helicopters, procurement of ground-based air defence, arming of the IAI Heron TP unmanned aircraft, development of a space-based warning system under project TWISTER (Timely Warning and Interception with Space-based TheatER surveillance), additional maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs), development of air guidance systems, and a space surveillance system.

The four primary platform-based procurements comprise the Eurofighter ECR, the F-35A, the Chinook, and the additional MPAs that will see more Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime multimission aircraft (MMA) acquired.

Combat aviation across all three of the German armed forces is set to receive the biggest share of a...

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