Diehl & Raytheon to build Stinger missiles in Germany
Diehl Defence and Raytheon (RTX) have signed an MoU to jointly produce Stinger missiles in Europe, boosting German and European capacity amid surging demand. The move aims to increase global availability of the short-range air-defence system, already fielded by 24 countries including Germany and nine other NATO members.
Diehl is assessing factory expansions, while Raytheon brings decades of Stinger modernization expertise. The partnership strengthens Diehl’s position in ground-based air defence even as rivals advance alternatives such as MBDA’s Small Anti-Drone Missile for Germany’s Sky ranger system.
Germany’s defence ministry has set out a to 2041 modernization plan worth €350bn to make the Bundeswehr Europe’s leading conventional military. Arms procurement is €8.2bn this year, rising to €22.3bn next year, and peaking above €52bn in 2029–2030.
Top allocations ammunition €70.3bn combat vehicles €52.5bn, naval vessels/equipment €36.6bn, aircraft & missile munitions €34.2bn.
Planned to buy 20 Eurofighter Typhoons up to 5,000 Boxer variants (incl. Sky ranger air-defence) 3,500 APCs to replace Fuchs and hundreds of Leopards 2 tanks.
NVL & Kraken launch JV for autonomous surface vessels
German shipbuilder NVL and the UK’s Kraken Technology Group have formed NVL Kraken to ramp up production of unmanned surface vessels (USVs). Manufacturing will start at Blohm+Voss, Hamburg, in Q4 2025, complementing UK lines, to meet surging European demand highlighted by Black Sea operations.
The JV pairs NVL’s naval build/integration with Kraken’s modular USV range (K3 Scout, K4 Manta, K5 Kraken) and supports manned–unmanned teaming (MUM-T) concepts, including NVL’s NTV130 “drone mothership” a proposed successor to Germany’s Elbe-class tenders.
Hades Mining raises €5.5m pre-seed
Munich’s Hades Mining has exited stealth with a €5.5m pre-seed led by Project A, with Visionaries Tomorrow, Founders Factory (Rio Tinto funded) and strategic angels participating. Founded by Max Werner, Björn Dressler and Dan Gengenbach, Hades is developing next-gen drilling/subsurface systems to tap ultra-deep geothermal heat and enable in-situ recovery of critical minerals.
Operating a vertically integrated model, it will own projects end-to-end and earn from produced minerals, power and heat. Funds will accelerate tech development and first European sites; technical details remain undisclosed.
Schuberth T100C & NVG Mount, DALO 2025
At Denmark’s DALO Industry Days 2025, Schuberth unveiled the T100C carbon training helmet and a new NVG mount that allows goggles to be used simultaneously with the visor and mandible, with both able to fold together or independently.
The mount uses fibreglass-reinforced plastic with metal elements for low weight and stability. The T100C prototype 98% to production adds rails and an NVG interface, series models will largely meet whitewater and climbing certifications alongside military standards, drawing on Schuberth’s Formula 1 helmet engineering.
Quadriga 2025: Baltic defence drills
Aug–Sep 2025 Germany leads a 14 nation NATO exercise focused on Baltic Sea defence.
About 8,000 Bundeswehr personnel train maritime ops (Northern Coasts), rapid deployment/sustainment to Lithuania (Grand Eagle; Brave Blue/Safety Fuel), mine warfare, multi-domain & drone defence, medical evac (Role2Sea), SOF in Finland (Silver Dagger) and infrastructure protection (National Guardian).
Directed by the new Operational Command to bolster deterrence, readiness and interoperability.
Chile–Germany defence pact opens NATO logistics access
A new technical-military deal lets Chile tap NATO’s codification/logistics system (via AURA’s MC CATALOG toward Level 2), boosting interoperability.
It builds on cooperation since 2004 training, info-sharing, joint exercises and aligns with Germany’s 2020 Indo-Pacific Guidelines to deepen ties in Latin America.