Germany will procure Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States. Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced this yesterday, Thursday, after the NATO summit in Ankara, in a government statement to the Bundestag. According to reports, Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius and his American counterpart Pete Hegseth had already signed a corresponding letter of intent on Tuesday. Thus, the project, which had recently been questioned due to transatlantic tensions, is apparently being implemented after all.
Already at the end of last year there were reports that Germany aimed to procure 400 Tomahawks of the latest Block Vb version for three firing units. This would close the capability gap for long-range precision strikes until the introduction of a European solution within the multinational European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA) in the coming decade. Army Inspector General Lieutenant General Christian Freuding subsequently spoke of establishing by 2029 a first battery as the core of a Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) modeled on the US example.
US System Typhon as a possible platform for cruise missiles
This became all the more urgent after the Trump administration recently canceled the planned relocation of a long-range artillery battalion of the American 2nd MDTF with headquarters in Mainz-Kastel to Germany. The 3rd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, established last October, is expected to comprise three batteries with different systems: one with the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), one with the Mid-Range Capability System (Typhon), and one with the future Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon System Dark Eagle.
Typhon is a land-based version, movable by semi-trailer, of the Mk 41 vertical launch system of the U.S. Navy. This can launch Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of over 1,600 kilometers and the multi-purpose SM-6 surface-to-air missile against air, ship, and ground targets at distances up to 500 kilometers. The integration of additional missiles such as the Patriot air defense missile was also tested. However, the Army is already seeking a more mobile successor system.
That could in turn benefit Germany, which has already expressed interest in Typhon as a launch platform for Tomahawk. The manufacturer Lockheed Martin has touted that the system could be delivered quickly if both governments agree on the sale. A straightforward transfer from U.S. stock would likely be an additional advantage. Thanks to Germany’s, or Europe’s, well-developed road network and without the requirement for rapid worldwide (air) redeployment, the mobility drawbacks of Typhon may not weigh as heavily.
