Germany Prepares to Test Ukrainian Bars Missiles

The German government is set to sign an agreement in the coming weeks to purchase Bars missiles developed in Ukraine. This will be the first time the Bundeswehr acquires Ukrainian-designed offensive weaponry for its own inventory. The missiles will be used for technical trials in early 2027.

According to sources cited by the Financial Times, the initial batch is intended for testing. If the results are satisfactory, the purchase could expand to several hundred units. The move is part of a wider effort to build a long-range strike arsenal to strengthen European deterrence against Moscow.

The Bars is a jet-powered cruise missile with a range of up to 1,000 km. Depending on the modification, it carries a payload of up to 105 kg. Ukraine often refers to the weapon as a drone missile, while Germany classifies it as a low-cost cruise missile. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has noted that the weapon has been used to strike military bases and energy facilities inside Russian territory.

Production of the missile is already taking place on German soil through a joint Ukrainian-German venture. Operations of this company remain largely secret. The first batch of German-made missiles, funded by Berlin, was delivered to Ukraine in October. The joint venture will now produce units for Germany, marking a shift in how the country sources its strike capability.

Currently, the German armed forces rely on the air-launched Taurus cruise missile, which has a range of about 500 km. Plans to buy the BGM-109 Tomahawk and the Typhon ground-based launcher from Raytheon could face delays of up to five years. The Bars offers a shorter-range alternative that is cheaper than the Tomahawk, which costs between $4 million and $6 million per unit.

Berlin is also moving to buy and test a small batch of Anthem cruise missiles from the US startup Covenant. The Anthem costs roughly one-tenth as much as a Tomahawk. One source indicated that the Bars is even cheaper, though Germany intends to purchase both systems. Plans to acquire the Ukrainian Flamingo cruise missile have been postponed for now.

Media reports indicate the German government expects to spend nearly €12 billion on a new arsenal of long-range weapons. Denmark recently announced a billion-dollar deal to buy high-precision long-range missiles for the first time in its history, seeking to bolster its own security posture.