Germany will not stockpile drones for potential war with Russia, says defense minister

He noted that drone technologies change within a few months, making the accumulation of drones a pointless strategy. He explained that innovation cycles in drone development are increasingly short, with technologies — especially in counter-drone systems — evolving dramatically over two to three months. He said stockpiling drones worth billions of euros now would be pointless, as they could become obsolete very quickly.

Instead, Berlin is focusing on developing new weapons and preparing the defense industry for rapid production in the event of war. Pistorius stated that Germany is working with companies to ensure that the most advanced systems can be manufactured quickly and in large quantities if needed.

He added that armored vehicles will continue to play a crucial role alongside drones, stressing that future wars will have a combined-arms character. Russia produces more Shahed and similar drones than it actually uses, and the war in Ukraine highlights the importance of drones in modern warfare. Nonetheless, heavy equipment remains essential, and military experts predict that future conflicts will involve howitzers, tanks, aircraft, cyberspace operations, and unmanned systems.

Germany is strengthening its military potential

In July, Bloomberg reported that Germany is considering purchasing up to 2,500 combat armored vehicles and up to 1,000 battle tanks as part of a joint European plan to form new NATO brigades aimed at deterring Russia.

Later, Bloomberg reported that Germany plans to order 8,500 armored vehicles and personnel carriers.

This month, it became known that Germany intends to spend nearly $3.5 billion on defense procurement, including 20 combat helicopters from Airbus.

Additionally, the Trump administration recently approved a potential missile sale to Germany valued at around $3.5 billion.