Germany Pushes US to Build Tomahawks and Patriot Missiles on German Soil

Germany is pressing the United States to allow more American weapons to be produced at German factories, as Berlin looks to close Europe’s military capability gaps and keep Washington invested in the continent’s defense, the Financial Times reported on July 1.

According to people familiar with the matter cited by the Financial Times, German officials are urging their US counterparts to reach a co-production agreement ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Ankara.

The effort is part of a broader European push to use defense industrial cooperation as a way to stabilize increasingly complicated relations with Washington.

One source said talks are already underway on “co-production concepts” that would bring German and US defense industries together.

Another person familiar with the discussions said the talks cover “everything” that could help both countries strengthen their defense capabilities, including possible joint production of Tomahawk cruise missiles and PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot air defense systems.

A third source told the Financial Times that the US response—both from the government and industry—has been more positive than expected.

German officials argue that producing critical US weapons in Europe’s largest economy would help Washington ease production bottlenecks that have worsened after the war with Iran. It would also help Germany receive weapons faster as Berlin accelerates rearmament in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Germany’s Defense Ministry said there is already “intensive and well-established” cooperation between US and German defense companies. It pointed to Rheinmetall’s production of fuselage sections for F-35 fighter jets and a new MBDA-Raytheon facility producing GEM-T missiles for the Patriot air defense system.

According to one source, the German government is also in contact with the German branch of European missile maker MBDA about cooperation with Raytheon, which produces the Tomahawk, to develop a ground-launched version of the cruise missile.

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World

As Washington Looks to the Pacific, NATO Races to Prevent Gaps in Europe’s Defense

Jun 18, 2026 13:31

US President Donald Trump recently planned to ask American defense companies to produce weapons under license in Europe and Ukraine.

When asked about the proposal at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Évian, France, Trump told reporters, “They would like to be able to do it, we’ll take a look at it.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the United States to let Ukraine produce Patriot interceptor missiles, warning that current US output is far too low as Russia ramps up ballistic missile production and increasingly tests NATO air defenses with drones flying toward allied states.

“60–65 anti-ballistic missiles per month, compared to current challenges, is nothing. It is no secret, and Russia knows this. We need to expand the production. I asked the previous US administration, and I am asking today’s administration to give Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missiles,” Zelenskyy said.

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