> Because of the hesitant arms deliveries to Ukraine, the CDU/CSU coalition is under pressure. According to SPIEGEL information, the German government has now approved the purchase of 100 self-propelled howitzers worth billions behind the scenes.
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> According to SPIEGEL information, the German government has approved the sale of 100 modern self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. According to the report, on 13 July, the responsible Ministry of Economics, headed by Robert Habeck (Greens), granted the German arms manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) a production permit for the “self-propelled howitzer 2000” systems. As early as April, Ukraine had asked KMW whether the howitzers could be purchased directly from the manufacturer. KMW immediately submitted a corresponding offer.
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> Volume exceeds value of previous arms deliveries
>
> KMW has now confirmed the arms deal in response to a question from SPIEGEL. A spokesperson said that KMW had submitted a corresponding application to the Ministry of Economics on 11 July and had received approval for production just two days later. The spokesperson put the budget for the 100 self-propelled howitzers at 1.7 billion euros. This volume would exceed the previous arms deliveries worth about 600 million euros many times over. KMW is now to begin production of the weapon systems immediately. However, it is still unclear when the first howitzers will be delivered to Ukraine. The production of all the howitzers is likely to take several years, so it is primarily a matter of strengthening the Ukrainian army in the long term.
>
> In recent weeks, the German government had already delivered several systems of the type “Panzerhaubitze2000” from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers had previously been trained on the system in Germany. Shortly after the deliveries from Germany, pictures circulated on Twitter showing the weapon system in action on the front line in the east of the country. Ukrainian soldiers raved about the German howitzers and their effectiveness in the videos.
>
> The “Panzerhaubitze2000” can fire 30 to 40 kilometres, depending on the ammunition used. It is considered one of the most modern howitzers in the world and can fire up to ten shells per minute. According to Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD), Ukraine had promised the German government before the delivery that no targets on Russian territory would be targeted with the weapons from Germany.
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> Direct contracts with the arms industry
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> The approval for the mega-deal indicates a change of course by the German government. Since the Bundeswehr can no longer supply weapons from its own stocks, Berlin is now relying on direct contracts between Ukraine and the German arms industry. This way, the delivery of several thousand anti-tank weapons of the type “Matador” has already been made possible. The delivery of the “Iris-T” air defence system planned for late autumn was also arranged according to this model.
> KMW says that the modalities for production have been clarified with the Ukrainian side. Production will begin. The prerequisite for this is that sufficient material, including armour steel and other important components, can now be procured. Company sources say they are optimistic about this. At any rate, sufficient personnel are available. The howitzer is manufactured at a site in Germany, which the company does not want to name publicly. The tubes for the war machine are supplied by the Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall Group.
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> Defence capability massively increased
> The German government is under considerable pressure because of the sometimes hesitant arms deliveries to Ukraine. Above all, the slow procedure of the so-called ring exchange with eastern partners is the subject of sometimes harsh criticism, even within the coalition government. Time and again, FDP defence politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann in particular has called for more leadership from Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
> The howitzers of various types delivered to Ukraine by several Western nations have massively increased the defence capabilities of the Ukrainian army, according to a consensus analysis by intelligence services and military experts. According to this analysis, the Ukrainian troops can fight Russian units with the modern systems over greater distances and have already been able to destroy Russian weapons depots.
>
100 self-propelled howitzers in several years…. That’s long term planning. Still great news but who knows what the situation will look like.
Some notes here:
* This is a deal between Ukraine and the German arms company KMW. The German government is not involved directly, but their approval is required. This approval was given July 13th, two days after the official request.
* There are no delivery dates in the Spiegel article – only a remark that the full delivery will take years as the howitzers need to be built first. Everybody involved knows that. This is probably mostly a long-term decision for Ukraine.
* As this is a deal between Ukraine and German industry, the Ukrainian government will pay the bill – not the German government. Not related to this specific arms deal: Ukraine is getting financial assistance from multiple sources, including the EU and the German government.
* 100 PzH2000 is roughly the amount the German army has, but only 40 of them were operational, 7 of which were given to Ukraine, with an additional 3 to come.
Now let’s wait one or two weeks for Redditors to accuse Olaf Scholz for delaying and breaking his personal promise to immediately deliver 1000 howitzers.
3 comments
> Because of the hesitant arms deliveries to Ukraine, the CDU/CSU coalition is under pressure. According to SPIEGEL information, the German government has now approved the purchase of 100 self-propelled howitzers worth billions behind the scenes.
>
> According to SPIEGEL information, the German government has approved the sale of 100 modern self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. According to the report, on 13 July, the responsible Ministry of Economics, headed by Robert Habeck (Greens), granted the German arms manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) a production permit for the “self-propelled howitzer 2000” systems. As early as April, Ukraine had asked KMW whether the howitzers could be purchased directly from the manufacturer. KMW immediately submitted a corresponding offer.
>
> Volume exceeds value of previous arms deliveries
>
> KMW has now confirmed the arms deal in response to a question from SPIEGEL. A spokesperson said that KMW had submitted a corresponding application to the Ministry of Economics on 11 July and had received approval for production just two days later. The spokesperson put the budget for the 100 self-propelled howitzers at 1.7 billion euros. This volume would exceed the previous arms deliveries worth about 600 million euros many times over. KMW is now to begin production of the weapon systems immediately. However, it is still unclear when the first howitzers will be delivered to Ukraine. The production of all the howitzers is likely to take several years, so it is primarily a matter of strengthening the Ukrainian army in the long term.
>
> In recent weeks, the German government had already delivered several systems of the type “Panzerhaubitze2000” from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers had previously been trained on the system in Germany. Shortly after the deliveries from Germany, pictures circulated on Twitter showing the weapon system in action on the front line in the east of the country. Ukrainian soldiers raved about the German howitzers and their effectiveness in the videos.
>
> The “Panzerhaubitze2000” can fire 30 to 40 kilometres, depending on the ammunition used. It is considered one of the most modern howitzers in the world and can fire up to ten shells per minute. According to Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD), Ukraine had promised the German government before the delivery that no targets on Russian territory would be targeted with the weapons from Germany.
>
> Direct contracts with the arms industry
>
> The approval for the mega-deal indicates a change of course by the German government. Since the Bundeswehr can no longer supply weapons from its own stocks, Berlin is now relying on direct contracts between Ukraine and the German arms industry. This way, the delivery of several thousand anti-tank weapons of the type “Matador” has already been made possible. The delivery of the “Iris-T” air defence system planned for late autumn was also arranged according to this model.
> KMW says that the modalities for production have been clarified with the Ukrainian side. Production will begin. The prerequisite for this is that sufficient material, including armour steel and other important components, can now be procured. Company sources say they are optimistic about this. At any rate, sufficient personnel are available. The howitzer is manufactured at a site in Germany, which the company does not want to name publicly. The tubes for the war machine are supplied by the Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall Group.
>
> Defence capability massively increased
> The German government is under considerable pressure because of the sometimes hesitant arms deliveries to Ukraine. Above all, the slow procedure of the so-called ring exchange with eastern partners is the subject of sometimes harsh criticism, even within the coalition government. Time and again, FDP defence politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann in particular has called for more leadership from Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
> The howitzers of various types delivered to Ukraine by several Western nations have massively increased the defence capabilities of the Ukrainian army, according to a consensus analysis by intelligence services and military experts. According to this analysis, the Ukrainian troops can fight Russian units with the modern systems over greater distances and have already been able to destroy Russian weapons depots.
>
100 self-propelled howitzers in several years…. That’s long term planning. Still great news but who knows what the situation will look like.
Some notes here:
* This is a deal between Ukraine and the German arms company KMW. The German government is not involved directly, but their approval is required. This approval was given July 13th, two days after the official request.
* There are no delivery dates in the Spiegel article – only a remark that the full delivery will take years as the howitzers need to be built first. Everybody involved knows that. This is probably mostly a long-term decision for Ukraine.
* As this is a deal between Ukraine and German industry, the Ukrainian government will pay the bill – not the German government. Not related to this specific arms deal: Ukraine is getting financial assistance from multiple sources, including the EU and the German government.
* 100 PzH2000 is roughly the amount the German army has, but only 40 of them were operational, 7 of which were given to Ukraine, with an additional 3 to come.
Now let’s wait one or two weeks for Redditors to accuse Olaf Scholz for delaying and breaking his personal promise to immediately deliver 1000 howitzers.