the Skies over Ukrainian positions are a constant Battlefield in their own right enemy and friendly drones crisscross the airspace hunting for valuable targets such as heavy armored vehicles and artillery this aerial cat- and mouse game is fundamentally changing tactics in tank battles in 2024 a $500 fpv drone can destroy a tank worth millions of dollars to protect their tanks the Russian military is therefore using them more like mobile artillery providing fire support from safer distances the Russians thought they were protecting their tanks with this and some camouflage tactics however the latest move from Germany has shattered this idea of the Russians Germany has been the second largest armed supporter of Ukraine throughout the Russian occupation and has dealt a heavy blow to Putin's occupation campaign Germany which has so far provided 11. 4 billion in military Aid has announced new Aid packages for Ukraine in mid November German Chancellor Olaf Schultz met with Russian President Vladimir Putin it was the Kremlin Leader's first publicized meeting with the head of a major Western power in nearly two years Schultz said he called on Putin during the 1-hour meeting to withdraw his troops and end the fullscale occupation launched in February 2022 this was a clear message withdraw and get out from Ukraine but Putin insisted on repeating his unacceptable demands so Germany stepped in and announced another very strong Aid package the new Aid package announced by Germany to dismantle Russian President Vladimir Putin's occupation policy in Ukraine includes gamechanging military equipment German defense minister Boris Pistorius confirmed that the drones to be delivered on November 18th 2024 are the hx2 karma manufactured by the European Defense technology company Hing this was an important step in strengthening kiev's defense and offensive capabilities these powerful tank busting drones have the power to stop the Russian advance and give Russian armored vehicles hell Germany is not hesitating to provide Ukraine with the technology to hold the front line and drive the Russians out completely with its latest moves Germany is sending a message to Russia to withdraw from Ukraine both diplomatically and militarily so what distinguishes these AI powered drones that Germany will provide to Ukraine from other uavs the drones from Hing known as Mini tourus have four times the range of the kamikazi drones previously used in Ukraine the deployment of hx2 hybrid loitering Munitions reflects a broader Trend in Modern Warfare where unmanned systems and AI powered Technologies are becoming indispensable according to Hing the Drne is equipped with state of the the art features including the ability to navigate and perform missions even in areas where Global navigation satellite systems are jammed or inaccessible solving a critical challenge in modern electronic warfare the ability of this AI powered drone to operate in gnss blocked conditions and apply swarm tactics addresses two critical aspects of the Ukrainian Battlefield these include overcoming electronic warfare measures and countering massed Russian forces or armored equipment the drone's explosive power is enough to destroy Russian tanks the use of these drones is a nightmare for Russian tanks and Military the Drne has a maximum range of about 100 km this can sharply frustrate the Russian army long range artillery tactics and tank raids the weakest point of Russian armored vehicles and tanks is that they have too many vulnerabilities to the sharp hits of attack drones drones with loitering ammunition are generally less effective against powerful Western tanks however Russian tanks are lighter and have thinner armor than Western tanks this gives them more effective speed and Mobility on the battlefield but makes them more vulnerable to loitering Munitions and attack drones with its range and explosive carrying capacity the German mini Taurus is capable of Paving the way for Ukrainian armored vehicles according to the Ukrainian defense Ministry the Russian army has lost about 9,500 tanks this is more than half the number of tanks at the beginning of the war most of the Russian tank losses were Against drones thanks to hing's ultra wrecky strike software multiple hx2 drones can work simultaneously on coordinated missions and use swarming tactics to overwhelm the opposing side's defenses integrated artificial intelligence in aables autonomous identification and engagement of targets providing an accuracy of 50 cm this capability minimizes collateral damage and maximizes Mission Effectiveness on the other hand the drone's 100 km range puts it on par with leading loitering Munitions while its lower cost offers an economical alternative to platforms such as the switchblade 600 or zala Lancet but hellings claims of cost Effectiveness and precision have been met with skepticism in some industry circles Hing headquartered in Germany is a fast growing defense technology company specializing in advanced software and AI powered solutions for Modern Warfare the company focuses on improving situational awareness and operational capabilities through cuttingedge Innovations particularly autonomous systems its commitment to combining software and Hardware Ware advances has made helling a leading player in the European Defense sector partnering with various militaries to address the challenges of contemporary conflicts these characteristics of the company help to remove many of the question marks around cost Effectiveness and precision the Ukrainian side is delighted to receive such an important and game-changing AI powered drone from Hing the commitment of 4,000 units signals Germany's commitment to support Ukraine with Advanced military technology in addition the deployment will provide an important opportunity to test the hx2 karma in real Combat scenarios potentially impacting its Market attractiveness and future development this gesture of cooperation between Germany and Ukraine in the provision of AI powered drones is sure to provoke serious reactions from the Russian side however the Berlin government is continuing its a policy towards Ukraine regardless of Putin's reactions or threats this latest Aid package is one of the most concrete proofs of Germany's stance on this issue on the other hand this Aid package offered by Germany to Ukraine includes 4,000 artificial intelligence drones as well as different military resources the package includes three Patriot and Iris T air defense systems which are vital for protecting the airspace against missile and drone attacks it also includes 500 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and 2,700 strella surface to air missile systems as well as guided missiles and radar stations to detect and track Air threats Germany will also provide 361 Songbird reconnaissance aircraft to boost Ukraine's offensive capabilities for armored Warfare Berlin plans to send leopard 1 and leopard 2 main battle tanks as well as a 140 martyr armored personnel carriers to improve Ukraine's ground mobility and Troop protection with this kind of Aid Germany is on the list of countries that are doing the most to help Russian leader Vladimir Putin's War mentality out of Ukraine however Germany's budget proposal for 2025 envisages $4. 3 billion in Aid to Kiev this means a reduction of about 50% even though military aid to Ukraine will be reduced Germany will meet NATO's Target of spending 2% of GDP on defense in 2025 a total of 75.
3 billion EUR or $ 81. 6 billion this is a significant percentage in addition to maintaining a significant military budget Germany also continues to engage in important activities with its Western Partners most recently Germany and the United Kingdom agreed to strengthen military cooperation and develop sophisticated weapons a move that reflects growing concern about Global Security threats from Russia under the terms of the agreement the two countries will coordinate more on Mutual defense with British and German troops conducting joint military exercises on NATO's eastern border with Russia and protecting vital underwater cables carrying data under the North Sea German p8 aircraft which can detect and Destroy submarines will operate from an air base in Scotland the British government believes the deal will give Ukraine a new offensive capability by arming Germans seeking helicopters with modern missile systems in 2010 the British government concluded a defense agreement with France and said in a statement that the new deal with Germany would complete a triangle of agreements between Europe's Most capable armed forces the UK Ministry of Defense also made important assessments about this agreement it described the agreement as a milestone in the relationship with Germany and said it would enhance European security the German defense Ministry shared the same sentiments both countries say their agreement will strengthen the European component of NATO the mutual defense Alliance of which they are members Germany's actions are not only motivated by an instinct to protect Ukraine or itself the Berlin government believes that Russia's challenge to European security cannot be thwarted simply by ending hostilities in Ukraine according to German Army inspector alons mice Germany's military capabilities have declined significantly during the peace dividend to the point where the bundes fa is more or less neutral in February 2022 when Russia begins its fullscale invasion of Ukraine Germany's military savings over the last three decades are estimated at between $400 billion and $600 billion these significant savings were associated with sharp reductions in military Stocks by 2021 Germany had about 340 tanks only 8% of the more than 4,000 West German tanks it had in 1992 and 14% of the 2,400 it had in 2004 in addition Germany's number of howitzers has fallen from more than 3,000 in 1992 to almost 1,000 in 2004 and only 120 in 2021 similar figures apply to other weapon systems even for fighter jets which NATO emphasizes the numbers have fallen by more than 50% but after this long period of disarmament Germany's capacities have increased only marginally since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 Germany's military stocks were estimated to take decades to reach 2,4 levels at current procurement rates for German fighter jets it was estimated to take 10 years for tanks 40 years and for howitzers 100 years German orders increased significantly only after July 2023 this was seen as a long delay compared to Russia's quick commitment to strengthen its arms industry in the fall of 2022 the number of orders has now increased but so has the proportion of orders without a fixed delivery date suggesting increasing delays and production backlogs and the numbers remain Rel atively small for example only 22 howitzers were ordered a number so low that it does not compensate for the larger number of howitzers committed to Ukraine and pales in comparison to Russia's monthly production of 38 for the main battle tank The Leopard 2 it took until July 2024 to place more than the replacement order of 18 tanks the 105 leopard twos ordered in July are expected to be fully delivered by 2030 on the other hand German orders from companies in other EU countries are minimal with the vast majority of purchase orders going to German companies German joint ventures with International partners and the United States to ensure effective rearmament German policy makers need to adopt a long-term political strategy Germany can adopt a comprehensive and European position to ensure that budgetary resources are used to reduce prices and thus become politically acceptable first Germany needs to allocate sufficient long-term resources to ensure planning stability for military production uncertain and insufficient budget commitments are self-defeating as they prevent long-term investments in capacities while the resulting small quantities mean higher prices per unit the federal government reacted to the war with a s ver Mogan a oneoff 10000 billion Eur debt instrument this fund allows for major new investments in military equipment and is welcome however it does not provide a long-term budget commitment in fact German defense spending has been and remains consistently modest compared to other European countries the regular defense budget eel plan 14 amounts to only 52 billion EUR or about 1.
