The German government has confirmed it approved almost 800 million euros ($913 million) in arms export licenses to Israel in the first five months of 2026, more than in the previous 20 months combined.
According to a Federal Foreign Office reply to a parliamentary question by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, nearly all the approvals were cleared in April and May. The approvals portend a dramatic surge in weapons exports to Israel from one of the country’s most steadfast allies in Europe, despite the German government’s insistence that it is concerned about the devastation wrought by Israel’s military in Gaza.
The government said more than 60 percent of the value of the arms licenses is earmarked for a single, unnamed “major maritime project”. The most likely candidate, analysts said, is a submarine built by the German manufacturer TKMS. The INS Drakon, a nuclear-capable Dolphin II-class submarine, underwent its maiden voyage last year at a shipyard in Kiel on the Baltic Sea. Its estimated value is 480 million euros ($548 million). It was officially handed over to the Israeli Navy last week.
According to several reports, it could feature a vertical launching system (VLS), enabling it to launch nuclear-tipped cruise missiles or ballistic missiles. Israel would become only the second navy after South Korea known to field a VLS on a modern, air-independent propulsion (AIP), conventionally powered submarine. Strategically, submarines of this class could provide a sea-based second-strike capability.
In May, TKMS signed a memorandum of understanding on future collaboration with Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest private defense contractor. The German Foreign Office and Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy both declined to comment. Max Mutschler, a senior researcher with the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies, told Al Jazeera: “Unfortunately, the fact that the federal government does not explicitly mention this is also typical of the lack of transparency surrounding arms exports.”
Berlin’s arms export policy towards Israel has been marked by reversals. In early August, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Germany would issue no further licenses for military equipment that could be used by Israel in the Gaza Strip. But the partial suspension proved short-lived: In November, the government lifted the restrictions and returned to reviewing export applications on a case-by-case basis.
Mutschler told Al Jazeera that some people in government “found the export of certain weapons to Israel problematic in light of numerous and credible reports of Israeli war crimes during the military operation in Gaza”. However, it was not enough to “bring about a generally restrictive arms export policy toward Israel”.
Germany is one of the world’s largest arms exporters. In the first six months of 2026, licenses were granted for arms worth 13.87 billion euros ($15.8 billion), more than four times as much as during the same period in 2025. Ukraine remains the primary recipient of German arms exports.
Pieter D Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, told Al Jazeera: “The demand for arms in Europe has increased dramatically over the past few years whereas the demand for arms in many other parts of the world does not seem to be decreasing or is likely to increase.” Germany is now the largest military spender in Europe (not counting Russia), and its arms industry is a core component of the European military-industrial base.
Source: www.aljazeera.com