Germany secures deal to buy US Tomahawk cruise missiles for deployment on its soil

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the Bundestag that, following the NATO summit in Ankara, the United States has agreed to sell Germany a stock of Tomahawk cruise missiles and Typhon ground‑launchers. The agreement, signed on the sidelines of the summit, will see the weapons stationed on German territory, a move Merz said “closes an important strategic gap in our defence”.

The Tomahawk Block Vb missiles have a range of roughly 1,600–2,500 km and can strike high‑value targets such as air‑defence sites, command centres and airfields deep inside Russia. They will be operated solely by German forces, replacing an earlier plan for a U.S.‑run long‑range fires battalion that was abandoned after the change in U.S. administration.

The purchase is presented as a temporary solution while NATO allies develop their own mid‑range strike capability under the European Long‑Range Strike Approach (ELSA). With the deal, Berlin gains a long‑range conventional strike option that it previously lacked, addressing concerns raised by Russia’s recent aggression in Ukraine.