In order to better defend themselves together, four European NATO partners – including Germany – now want to develop a broad weapon system. It is said that it has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers and can therefore hit targets on Russian soil.
When Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, it became clear to the states of the Atlantic Alliance: the gap in Europe’s arsenals must be urgently closed, writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine. With this in mind, the defense ministers of Germany, France, Italy and Poland laid the foundation for the ELSA project (“European Long-Range Strike Approach”) on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington on Thursday.
Significantly more range than the German Taurus
A declaration of intent was signed with the aim of guaranteeing military capabilities, strengthening deterrence and defense capabilities and laying the industrial basis for this. The project would concern a cruise missile with a considerably longer range than the German Taurus – which flies about 500 kilometers – and which can also be launched from land or sea bases (“deep precision strike”).
American Tomahawk-type cruise missiles, which can also be equipped with nuclear weapons, have a range of over 2,000 kilometers. On the sidelines of the summit the day before, it was announced that the US would station Tomahawks, SM-6 air defense missiles and new hypersonic weapons in Germany from 2026.
To the background
In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that there is a strategic imbalance. Russia has continued to expand its arsenal of medium- and long-range conventional weapons, terminated arms control treaties and stationed the systems, among other places, in the Kaliningrad enclave. Berlin is plagued by great fears in this regard; from there, Moscow can strike almost any target in Europe.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
