The German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, wants to acquire four new submarines for a cost of at least 4.7 billion euros to meet new NATO security requirements in Europe, according to a parliamentary source.
These are four examples of the new U212CD model manufactured by the German giant Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, according to this source close to the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament.
These boats are more imposing than the previous generation, with a length of about 74 meters, quieter and with greater diving autonomy. They are equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system and two diesel engines.
This week the Finance Ministry sent a request to the Bundestag budget committee to approve the transaction.
“We are paying special attention to the project to acquire additional submarines due to its importance for security policy, but also to the importance of the committed funds,” this source told AFP, confirming a report from Der Spiegel magazine.
“Protect the northern flank of the alliance”
The ministry presents “the purchase as no alternative, because without the four additional submarines Germany would not be able to meet NATO’s new demands to better protect the alliance’s northern flank,” according to the weekly, in a context of growing threat. since the war of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Due to new NATO defense plans, Germany must make at least five operational submarines available to the Alliance from 2031. The German army had already ordered two submarines of this type from Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, within the framework of a joint project with Norway.
The purchase of additional submarines was not included in the budget for this year and subsequent years, hence Boris Pistorius’ request. However, to obtain this extension he will need the support of the conservatives of the CDU and the CSU in the Bundestag, because Chancellor Olaf Scholz no longer has a majority since the implosion of his coalition with the Greens and the liberals (FDP) at the beginning of November. .
The Social Democrat leader will undergo a vote of confidence on December 16 in the Bundestag, which he is expected to lose, paving the way for early elections on February 23.
Source: BFM TV
