Western governments are getting tooled up, writes aimeedonnellan
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Feb. 27 announced a sharp increase in defence spending to more than 2% of its economic output in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This year’s military budget would more than double to 100 billion euros, he said.
Berlin will buy 35 U.S. F-35 fighter jets to replace its ageing fleet of Tornado multi-role combat aircraft, it said on March 14. It will also purchase 15 Eurofighter jets equipped for electronic warfare, a capability yet to be developed by Franco-German producer Airbus, according to a confidential document sent to lawmakers.
The bulk of additional spending announced so far is for warplanes and ammunition, said Marcus Faber, a defence expert and member of the Free Democrats, a junior coalition partner in Scholz’s government. At least 44 billion euros had been earmarked for spending on modern armaments, Bloomberg reported on March 15.
Poland wants to buy U.S.-made MQ-9 Reaper drones, the Defence Ministry’s Armament Agency said on March 16. As of March 18, shares in German defence contractor Rheinmetall were up 73% since the launch of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. Italy’s Leonardo was up 39%, while France’s Thales and Britain’s BAE Systems had gained 26% and 21% respectively.A soldier with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team 101st Airborne Division trains on a M240 machine gun during Expert Infantryman Badge training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. U.S., July 25, 2019. Picture taken July 25, 2019.
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