Germany to Buy Up to 400 Tomahawk Missiles and Typhon Launchers in Landmark Deal

Germany will purchase US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles and ground-based Typhon launcher systems, Chancellor Friedrich Merz told German lawmakers on July 9, 2026, following negotiations on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara. A letter of intent was signed with US officials on July 8, and Washington has committed to granting formal export approval in August.

The exact quantities are classified, but the package is reported to include up to 400 Tomahawk Block Vb missiles and a number of Typhon launchers, at a value exceeding $1 billion. The Block Vb variant carries a joint multi-effects warhead for use against a broad set of land targets and features a two-way datalink that allows course correction and re-tasking in flight. "We are closing a critical strategic gap in our defence, while simultaneously working to develop our own European systems," Merz said.

The acquisition would make Germany the first NATO ally outside the Five Eyes nations to field ground-launched Tomahawks, restoring a land-based deep-strike capability that disappeared from Europe with the collapse of the INF Treaty. Depending on configuration, the missile's range exceeds 1,600 kilometers — GlobalMilitary.net lists the Tomahawk family at up to 2,500 kilometers — roughly five times the reach of Germany's own Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile, which is limited to about 500 kilometers.

The purchase replaces an earlier arrangement under which the US Army's 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force, equipped with Typhon launchers, was to be stationed in Germany as an interim deterrent. That deployment was cancelled after Washington announced a reduction of the US military presence in Germany in May 2026. Berlin had previously sought to buy Tomahawks outright but had been rebuffed by earlier US administrations; the new agreement reflects the current administration's push for European allies to fund their own security through purchases of American weapons.

Berlin describes the Tomahawk buy as a bridge solution. Germany is a lead participant in the European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA), which aims to field a European ground-launched system in the 1,000–2,000 kilometer class during the 2030s, and has also launched a Deep Precision Strike project with the United Kingdom targeting ranges beyond 2,000 kilometers.

If the August approval proceeds as committed, Germany would join a short list of Tomahawk operators that includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and the Netherlands. Delivery timelines have not been disclosed.