Germany Approves €540M Medium-Range Loitering Munition Procurement from Helsing and Stark Defence Firms
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Germany’s parliament has approved an initial 540 million euro package to procure medium-range loitering munitions for the Bundeswehr, prioritizing the German brigade stationed in Lithuania. The move signals Berlin’s entry into large-scale one-way attack drone acquisition, reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank as drone warfare reshapes European land combat.
On 25 February 2026, the budget committee of the German Bundestag authorised an initial 540 million euro package to procure medium-range loitering munition systems for the German Armed Forces, with a particular focus on equipping the German brigade deployed in Lithuania. The decision comes as drone-centred deep-strike and counter-battery warfare reshapes European land operations and becomes a core component of NATO’s deterrence posture. It marks Germany’s entry into large-scale acquisition of one-way attack drones under strict parliamentary oversight and capped long-term expenditure. As reported by Euronews, the framework agreements open the way for further “loitering munition systems” orders while limiting total spending in this capability segment to around two billion euros.
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Germany’s parliament has approved a 540 million euro package to acquire medium-range AI-enabled loitering munitions for the Bundeswehr, with German firms Helsing and Stark Defence linked to the initial procurement tranche (Picture Source: Stark Defence / Helsing)
The official communication from the German government describes two framework contracts for “loitering munition of medium range including training equipment, peripheral systems and documentation” as part of a broader procurement package, but it does not specify individual manufacturers or airframe designations. Berlin communicates at the capability level rather than the platform level, preserving operational security and allowing room for competitive pressure among suppliers. In parallel, Euronews identifies German companies Helsing and Stark Defence as the industrial partners associated with this first 540 million euro tranche, which will be subject to strict reporting duties and further parliamentary approvals before any expansion. On the basis of budget-committee documentation and publicly available industry information, Helsing’s HX-2 family and Stark Defence’s Virtus loitering munition emerge as the most plausible, though not officially confirmed, candidates to fulfil the requirements of these framework contracts and to form the core of Germany’s future loitering munitions inventory.
HX-2 is presented by Helsing as an AI-enabled precision loitering munition conceived as an expendable air vehicle within a wider reconnaissance-strike ecosystem. The airframe follows an X-wing configuration with electric propulsion optimised for stable loiter profiles at medium altitude, followed by a steep terminal attack profile against point targets. With an advertised range on the order of 100 kilometres and a launch mass in the low-double-digit kilogram class, HX-2 is designed to carry a multi-purpose warhead able to generate anti-armour, anti-structure and general-purpose effects against artillery batteries, armoured fighting vehicles and hardened command posts. Integrated into Helsing’s Altra software environment, the munition acts as the forward effector of a broader C4ISR architecture, closing the kill chain from sensor to shooter. The avionics suite combines a multi-sensor navigation stack with AI-assisted guidance intended to maintain controllability and precision in GNSS-degraded airspace, reflecting lessons learned from heavily contested electromagnetic environments in current conflicts.
Virtus, fielded by Stark Defence, occupies a slightly heavier class and is engineered to maximise mission radius, time-on-station and modular lethality. The air vehicle is reported to offer an effective travel distance in excess of 130 kilometres and endurance of around 90 minutes, translating into an engagement envelope that supports extended patrols over designated kill boxes before executing a high-energy terminal dive at approximately 250 km/h. With a maximum take-off weight close to 30 kilograms and a payload capacity of about 5 kilograms, Virtus is built around a modular warhead concept that allows configuration for anti-armour missions, engagements of soft-skinned vehicles or strikes against critical infrastructure. Recent live-warhead tests with specialised anti-armour effectors underline efforts to optimise warhead-airframe integration and to meet NATO lethality and safety standards. The system architecture emphasises rapid launch from austere locations and a redundant, EW-resilient command-and-control link, complemented by a multi-modal navigation suite that fuses GNSS, inertial sensors and vision-based or terrain-referenced navigation to preserve guidance in GNSS-denied conditions.
Both HX-2 and Virtus have been evaluated and, to varying degrees, combat-tested in the Ukrainian theatre, where loitering munitions have become a central component of land-based deep-strike operations. Reports from users and trials indicate that these systems have undergone rapid, software-driven evolution, with successive iterations improving reliability, target-acquisition performance and resistance to electronic warfare. This iterative development logic is at the heart of their value proposition for Germany: rather than relying on infrequent, hardware-heavy mid-life upgrades, the Bundeswehr would field software-defined strike platforms whose mission systems, autonomy modes and electronic-protection techniques can be updated on a much shorter cycle. In such a model, the loitering munition is less a static piece of ordnance and more a continuously evolving air vehicle type, embedded in an architecture where new algorithms and sensor-fusion modes can be rolled out across the fleet as operational requirements change.
At the tactical level, the decision by the Bundestag effectively inserts an organic deep-strike layer into the German land forces’ order of battle, starting with the brigade earmarked for Lithuania. Loitering munitions such as HX-2-type or Virtus-type systems will provide the formation with non-line-of-sight engagement capability far beyond the immediate line of contact, while allowing manoeuvre units to remain dispersed and under cover. By integrating these air vehicles into a brigade-level reconnaissance and engagement complex, Germany shortens the sensor-to-shooter cycle: surveillance assets cue loitering munitions, which then orbit pre-defined areas of interest, receive updated target data via secure datalinks and execute precision strikes under positive human control. This capability bridges the gap between classic tube and rocket artillery on the one hand and manned strike aviation on the other, complicating any adversary’s attempt to mass artillery, armour or headquarters within the brigade’s extended engagement zone.
For NATO, Germany’s move contributes to closing a visible shortfall in unmanned long-range effects along the Alliance’s Eastern flank. By fielding domestically developed, software-defined loitering munitions, Berlin supports the creation of a more resilient, multi-layered network of joint fires in which manned aircraft, ground-based rocket and tube artillery, cruise missiles and unmanned strike platforms are tied together through interoperable command-and-control systems. When deployed with the German brigade in Lithuania, such systems will enhance the Alliance’s ability to conduct rapid counter-battery fire, interdict second-echelon forces and engage critical command, logistics and air-defence nodes within an adversary’s operational depth, all while remaining integrated into NATO’s airspace-control and air-and-missile-defence arrangements. Common standards for targeting procedures, data-link protocols and human-in-the-loop engagement will be key to ensuring that these new German assets can plug seamlessly into multinational operations.
On the strategic and geostrategic plane, the loitering munitions programme is also a marker of Germany’s evolving defence-industrial policy. By turning to Helsing and Stark Defence, Berlin is supporting an emerging national ecosystem for AI-enabled unmanned systems and signalling an intention to strengthen European technological sovereignty in unmanned long-range strike capabilities. At the same time, the contracts are bound by strict financial caps and detailed reporting obligations, under which additional orders depend on demonstrated technical maturity, interoperability with Bundeswehr command-and-control systems and adherence to Alliance standards. For Germany’s partners on NATO’s Eastern flank, the deployment of such systems with a forward-based German brigade is an important signal: heavy armour commitments are now being matched by an agile, unmanned deep-strike component capable of contesting adversary artillery, electronic-warfare assets and logistic hubs across a broad operational radius.
By approving the initial 540 million euro tranche for loitering munitions, the German parliament is taking a decisive step from observing the rapid evolution of one-way attack drones to integrating them as a core element of its own force design. The likely association of this procurement with HX-2- and Virtus-type systems indicates a preference for AI-enabled, software-defined air vehicles that can evolve in lockstep with operational demands and technological advances. Within NATO, these capabilities will strengthen the Alliance’s ability to conduct precise, long-range fires in contested airspace, while within Germany they will serve as an early test of the country’s capacity to field advanced unmanned strike systems under strict democratic oversight. The decision thus positions unmanned, networked loitering munitions not as experimental adjuncts, but as a central pillar of Germany’s contribution to collective defence and of Europe’s emerging high-intensity warfare architecture.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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Germany’s parliament has approved an initial 540 million euro package to procure medium-range loitering munitions for the Bundeswehr, prioritizing the German brigade stationed in Lithuania. The move signals Berlin’s entry into large-scale one-way attack drone acquisition, reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank as drone warfare reshapes European land combat.
On 25 February 2026, the budget committee of the German Bundestag authorised an initial 540 million euro package to procure medium-range loitering munition systems for the German Armed Forces, with a particular focus on equipping the German brigade deployed in Lithuania. The decision comes as drone-centred deep-strike and counter-battery warfare reshapes European land operations and becomes a core component of NATO’s deterrence posture. It marks Germany’s entry into large-scale acquisition of one-way attack drones under strict parliamentary oversight and capped long-term expenditure. As reported by Euronews, the framework agreements open the way for further “loitering munition systems” orders while limiting total spending in this capability segment to around two billion euros.
Germany’s parliament has approved a 540 million euro package to acquire medium-range AI-enabled loitering munitions for the Bundeswehr, with German firms Helsing and Stark Defence linked to the initial procurement tranche (Picture Source: Stark Defence / Helsing)
The official communication from the German government describes two framework contracts for “loitering munition of medium range including training equipment, peripheral systems and documentation” as part of a broader procurement package, but it does not specify individual manufacturers or airframe designations. Berlin communicates at the capability level rather than the platform level, preserving operational security and allowing room for competitive pressure among suppliers. In parallel, Euronews identifies German companies Helsing and Stark Defence as the industrial partners associated with this first 540 million euro tranche, which will be subject to strict reporting duties and further parliamentary approvals before any expansion. On the basis of budget-committee documentation and publicly available industry information, Helsing’s HX-2 family and Stark Defence’s Virtus loitering munition emerge as the most plausible, though not officially confirmed, candidates to fulfil the requirements of these framework contracts and to form the core of Germany’s future loitering munitions inventory.
HX-2 is presented by Helsing as an AI-enabled precision loitering munition conceived as an expendable air vehicle within a wider reconnaissance-strike ecosystem. The airframe follows an X-wing configuration with electric propulsion optimised for stable loiter profiles at medium altitude, followed by a steep terminal attack profile against point targets. With an advertised range on the order of 100 kilometres and a launch mass in the low-double-digit kilogram class, HX-2 is designed to carry a multi-purpose warhead able to generate anti-armour, anti-structure and general-purpose effects against artillery batteries, armoured fighting vehicles and hardened command posts. Integrated into Helsing’s Altra software environment, the munition acts as the forward effector of a broader C4ISR architecture, closing the kill chain from sensor to shooter. The avionics suite combines a multi-sensor navigation stack with AI-assisted guidance intended to maintain controllability and precision in GNSS-degraded airspace, reflecting lessons learned from heavily contested electromagnetic environments in current conflicts.
Virtus, fielded by Stark Defence, occupies a slightly heavier class and is engineered to maximise mission radius, time-on-station and modular lethality. The air vehicle is reported to offer an effective travel distance in excess of 130 kilometres and endurance of around 90 minutes, translating into an engagement envelope that supports extended patrols over designated kill boxes before executing a high-energy terminal dive at approximately 250 km/h. With a maximum take-off weight close to 30 kilograms and a payload capacity of about 5 kilograms, Virtus is built around a modular warhead concept that allows configuration for anti-armour missions, engagements of soft-skinned vehicles or strikes against critical infrastructure. Recent live-warhead tests with specialised anti-armour effectors underline efforts to optimise warhead-airframe integration and to meet NATO lethality and safety standards. The system architecture emphasises rapid launch from austere locations and a redundant, EW-resilient command-and-control link, complemented by a multi-modal navigation suite that fuses GNSS, inertial sensors and vision-based or terrain-referenced navigation to preserve guidance in GNSS-denied conditions.
Both HX-2 and Virtus have been evaluated and, to varying degrees, combat-tested in the Ukrainian theatre, where loitering munitions have become a central component of land-based deep-strike operations. Reports from users and trials indicate that these systems have undergone rapid, software-driven evolution, with successive iterations improving reliability, target-acquisition performance and resistance to electronic warfare. This iterative development logic is at the heart of their value proposition for Germany: rather than relying on infrequent, hardware-heavy mid-life upgrades, the Bundeswehr would field software-defined strike platforms whose mission systems, autonomy modes and electronic-protection techniques can be updated on a much shorter cycle. In such a model, the loitering munition is less a static piece of ordnance and more a continuously evolving air vehicle type, embedded in an architecture where new algorithms and sensor-fusion modes can be rolled out across the fleet as operational requirements change.
At the tactical level, the decision by the Bundestag effectively inserts an organic deep-strike layer into the German land forces’ order of battle, starting with the brigade earmarked for Lithuania. Loitering munitions such as HX-2-type or Virtus-type systems will provide the formation with non-line-of-sight engagement capability far beyond the immediate line of contact, while allowing manoeuvre units to remain dispersed and under cover. By integrating these air vehicles into a brigade-level reconnaissance and engagement complex, Germany shortens the sensor-to-shooter cycle: surveillance assets cue loitering munitions, which then orbit pre-defined areas of interest, receive updated target data via secure datalinks and execute precision strikes under positive human control. This capability bridges the gap between classic tube and rocket artillery on the one hand and manned strike aviation on the other, complicating any adversary’s attempt to mass artillery, armour or headquarters within the brigade’s extended engagement zone.
For NATO, Germany’s move contributes to closing a visible shortfall in unmanned long-range effects along the Alliance’s Eastern flank. By fielding domestically developed, software-defined loitering munitions, Berlin supports the creation of a more resilient, multi-layered network of joint fires in which manned aircraft, ground-based rocket and tube artillery, cruise missiles and unmanned strike platforms are tied together through interoperable command-and-control systems. When deployed with the German brigade in Lithuania, such systems will enhance the Alliance’s ability to conduct rapid counter-battery fire, interdict second-echelon forces and engage critical command, logistics and air-defence nodes within an adversary’s operational depth, all while remaining integrated into NATO’s airspace-control and air-and-missile-defence arrangements. Common standards for targeting procedures, data-link protocols and human-in-the-loop engagement will be key to ensuring that these new German assets can plug seamlessly into multinational operations.
On the strategic and geostrategic plane, the loitering munitions programme is also a marker of Germany’s evolving defence-industrial policy. By turning to Helsing and Stark Defence, Berlin is supporting an emerging national ecosystem for AI-enabled unmanned systems and signalling an intention to strengthen European technological sovereignty in unmanned long-range strike capabilities. At the same time, the contracts are bound by strict financial caps and detailed reporting obligations, under which additional orders depend on demonstrated technical maturity, interoperability with Bundeswehr command-and-control systems and adherence to Alliance standards. For Germany’s partners on NATO’s Eastern flank, the deployment of such systems with a forward-based German brigade is an important signal: heavy armour commitments are now being matched by an agile, unmanned deep-strike component capable of contesting adversary artillery, electronic-warfare assets and logistic hubs across a broad operational radius.
By approving the initial 540 million euro tranche for loitering munitions, the German parliament is taking a decisive step from observing the rapid evolution of one-way attack drones to integrating them as a core element of its own force design. The likely association of this procurement with HX-2- and Virtus-type systems indicates a preference for AI-enabled, software-defined air vehicles that can evolve in lockstep with operational demands and technological advances. Within NATO, these capabilities will strengthen the Alliance’s ability to conduct precise, long-range fires in contested airspace, while within Germany they will serve as an early test of the country’s capacity to field advanced unmanned strike systems under strict democratic oversight. The decision thus positions unmanned, networked loitering munitions not as experimental adjuncts, but as a central pillar of Germany’s contribution to collective defence and of Europe’s emerging high-intensity warfare architecture.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
