Kamikaze drones are described as a "game changer" in modern warfare. Tests with systems from German manufacturers are underway. According to CORRECTIV, the Bundeswehr is also considering purchasing from Elbit Systems.
In order to be prepared for the future of warfare, the Bundeswehr wants to procure so-called kamikaze drones. They are launched from a carrier, for example, and can then be guided to their target. There they explode.
According to media reports, systems from German manufacturers Rheinmetall, Stark and Helsing are on the shortlist. However, according to CORRECTIV information, a possible fourth supplier has recently been brought into play: the Israeli company Elbit Systems.
In August, 700 million euros were estimated for Elbit's weapons, known in technical jargon as Loitering Munition Systems (LMS). This is according to internal documents from the Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg), which are available to us. The Ministry does not wish to comment on specific procurement plans when asked.
Elbit Systems is the first non-German manufacturer to join the group of potential suppliers. The Israeli company is regarded as one of the global market leaders for drones and integrated weapon systems.
"Gamechanger" for the Bundeswehr: Loitering ammunition also on the 377 billion euro wish list
The 700 million euro order for Elbit is included in a list of new projects for the German Armed Forces. Politico first reported on this "wish list". The approximately 320 items amount to a total of 377 billion euros and are likely to extend over the coming years. According to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the German armed forces are to become the "strongest conventional army in Europe" with massive investments - as he announced in mid-May.
When presenting the procurement plans in April, the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, General Carsten Breuer, called drones and loitering ammunition a "game changer". This technology is a top priority for both the Ministry of Defense and the armed forces.
The Bundeswehr therefore actually wanted to procure such kamikaze drones particularly quickly. Tests and preliminary procedures for LMS from the manufacturers Stark and Helsing have been underway since April of this year - but apparently with problems. The two start-ups, for example, are behind schedule with regard to the delivery of "essential contractual delivery items/components", Der Spiegel quotes a confidential status report from the procurement office from the end of October. There is also talk of "performance problems". The Rheinmetall model, on the other hand, is only at a prototype-like stage.
It is unclear whether the problems had already become apparent in August, when, according to information from CORRECTIV, the Bundeswehr had written down its wish to procure LMS from Elbit Systems with a range of more than 100 kilometers. According to the list in the wish list, it was even planned to award the contract without a competition.
When asked by CORRECTIV, a spokesperson for the BMVg stated that a decision for a "large-volume procurement" of specific manufacturers had not yet been made. Contracts for the purchase of limited quantities of loitering ammunition have so far been concluded "exclusively for the purpose of certification/qualification with three manufacturers", the statement continued - without mentioning any company names.
All manufacturers are undergoing the same procedure, which is to be completed by the end of the year. Only then will a decision on procurement be made.
Kamikaze drones would not be the first Bundeswehr purchase from Elbit Systems - protests against the company
A specific model is not mentioned in the description of the project and Elbit Systems did not respond to a CORRECTIV inquiry on the subject. With SkyStriker, however, the company has a tried-and-tested technology at its disposal. In 2023, the company announced an order worth 95 million US dollars for the delivery of "several hundred units" of the system to an unspecified European country.
According to defense experts, there are understandable reasons for the procurement. "Elbit Systems is an Israeli multinational corporation that offers numerous weapons systems," says Max Mutschler from the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies. "There are repeated collaborations, and Elbit Systems has made several purchases for the Bundeswehr." In the past, this has included radio equipment and reconnaissance technology, and in spring 2025 an order for artillery rocket launchers for the Bundeswehr was announced. The expert describes the exchange with Germany as a "give and take".
The fact that the Israeli arms manufacturer could also supply kamikaze drones for the Bundeswehr in the future is new. Value creation in Germany was only estimated at ten percent - probably due to the Elbit site in Ulm. For the majority of Bundeswehr procurement projects, however, it is preferred that production takes place in Germany and that money is therefore also earned in Germany with military procurements.
And: Elbit is a big player for Israel and the Israeli military. In the wake of the Israeli army's actions in the Gaza Strip, there have been repeated protests at the German site by activists demanding the closure of the plant.
