Germany's Domestic Weapon Production Push
Germany Pursues US Approval to Co-produce Tomahawk Missiles and Patriot Interceptors Domestically
Key Points
Germany and the United States are negotiating a joint production framework to manufacture long-range Tomahawk missiles and PAC-3 Patriot interceptors on German soil, with defense industry companies from both countries involved and a reportedly positive response from the US government and major contractors.
The push is tied to US defense procurement bottlenecks and a Pentagon decision to cancel a planned Tomahawk deployment in May 2026, prompting Berlin to pursue localized production to address delivery delays and bolster deterrence ahead of the Ankara NATO summit.
Germany seeks to engage President Donald Trump through licensing strategies, aiming to align with his America First orientation and potentially influence US defense commitments, with the proposal potentially involving European and Ukrainian firms in licensed production.
The broader EU context includes an €800 billion defense overhaul roadmap, with licensing deals seen as a way to satisfy Trump’s burden-sharing demands while generating licensing revenue for US firms, amid widespread delays in US deliveries.
Germany formally asked the U.S. State Department on July 1, 2026, to approve co-production of Tomahawk cruise missiles and PAC-3 Patriot interceptors on German soil, Associated Press reported. The move marks a sharp turn in European defense strategy — away from buying American weapons to actually building them in Europe.
The push comes after the Pentagon canceled a planned Tomahawk deployment to Germany in May 2026, citing resource shifts to the Indo-Pacific, according to Defense News. With the NATO summit in Ankara approaching, Berlin is racing to close Europe's air-defense gaps before alliance leaders gather.
Pentagon Cancellation Forced Berlin to Change Course
The U.S. Army had promised to deploy Tomahawk batteries to Germany starting in 2026 — a commitment made at the 2024 NATO Washington Summit. That plan collapsed on May 12, 2026, when the Pentagon scrapped it entirely. Germany then pivoted fast. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius flew to Washington on June 15 to pitch a "Joint Production Framework," where German firms would build U.S. weapons under license, The Berlin Gazette reported.
The backlog problem is severe. Delivery wait times for PAC-3 interceptors currently run 48 to 60 months, according to Defense News. Localized production in Germany could cut that to just 18 to 24 months. Germany's initial target is 500 Tomahawk missiles by 2032, at roughly $2 million per unit, plus a 15–20% licensing fee to the U.S. Treasury and Raytheon, Bloomberg reported.
US Firms and Trump Both See a Deal Worth Making
Major U.S. defense contractors are on board. Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet has lobbied the White House to approve the deal to clear his company's massive Patriot order backlog. Raytheon has also signaled support, according to Wall Street Journal reporting from June 28. If Germany's Schrobenhausen plant reaches full capacity by 2027, it could cut Lockheed's global PAC-3 backlog by 35%, per Janes Defense Weekly.
President Trump has framed the deal in blunt terms. "If Germany wants our great missiles, they should build them, pay for them, and pay us a big fee for the privilege. That's a fair deal," he posted on social media. Analysts say Berlin is deliberately pitching the plan to match Trump's "America First" logic — U.S. firms get licensing revenue, Germany gets supply chain control.
Licensed Tomahawk Production Breaks New Ground in Arms Sharing
Co-producing the Tomahawk is a major step. The U.S. has rarely shared the technical blueprints for a strategic offensive missile with a non-U.S. partner, according to Foreign Policy. The model follows existing precedents — like F-35 fuselage production in Weeze, Germany — but goes much further. Chancellor Olaf Scholz called it a bid for "European Strategic Autonomy," saying Germany is "asking to build American excellence on German soil," per Die Welt.
Berlin has also proposed looping in Ukrainian firms as sub-component suppliers. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War say that would pull Kyiv into the Western defense industrial base before Ukraine formally joins NATO. The deal is part of Europe's broader €800 billion defense overhaul planned through 2035, according to Streamline Feed.
Critics Warn of Escalation Risks and a Two-Tier NATO
Not everyone supports the plan. Germany's Die Linke party and parts of the AfD say the deal makes Germany a top target for Russian strikes. Russian state outlet TASS called "Made in Germany" Tomahawks a violation of the spirit of the now-defunct INF Treaty — a Cold War-era pact that once banned land-based cruise missiles in Europe. Der Spiegel reported significant domestic opposition within Germany itself.
Strategic analysts raise a separate concern. If only wealthy nations can afford the licensing fees for top U.S. technology, NATO could split into a two-tier alliance. The deal is expected to create over 5,000 jobs in Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia. But its ultimate test comes at the Ankara summit, where Germany must show it is pulling its weight on defense — and not just writing checks.
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