Germany fields kamikaze drone batteries in army artillery battalions

The German Army is moving to equip its corps-level artillery formations with long-range loitering munitions capable of striking targets between 200 and 300 kilometers away, according to remarks delivered by Lieutenant General Heico Hübner, Deputy Inspector of the Army and Commander of the Military Basic Organization, during a keynote address at the parliamentary evening of the Förderkreis Deutsches Heer e.V. in Berlin on April 14.

Hübner framed indirect fire as an operational necessity — a prerequisite that makes maneuver warfare possible in the first place. In his view, achieving that requires a continuous spectrum of systems and ranges across every tactical level, from frontline battalions all the way up to corps. The general’s remarks outline the most comprehensive German Army artillery modernization plan in decades, spanning loitering munition batteries, wheeled howitzers, and next-generation multiple rocket launch systems.

At the brigade and division level, the Army intends to equip every artillery battalion with a dedicated Loitering Munition System, or LMS, battery of appropriate range. The rollout has already begun: the first such battery is being established with Panzerbrigade 45, followed by one with Panzerbrigade 21 — a formation that, despite its name, is composed primarily of three light infantry battalions rather than armored combat elements. The battery assigned to Panzerbrigade 21 is expected to function as a continuous experimental unit, allowing the Army to refine tactics and evaluate performance in a realistic organizational setting. The loitering munition systems for both of these batteries are already under contract, with Helsing, Rheinmetall, and STARK named as suppliers.

Now, Hübner announced, a parallel procurement project will be established to arm corps-level artillery formations with a long-range loitering munition system — one capable of engaging targets at distances between 200 and 300 kilometers. That range band places this class of weapon firmly in the operational deep-strike category, well beyond what current brigade-level LMS provide. For context, Ukraine has fielded systems in a similar performance class, including the FP-2, demonstrating the battlefield utility of loitering munitions at extended operational ranges. A tender for this corps-level procurement is expected to be issued before the end of 2025.

At the battalion level, combat troops are to receive tightly integrated short-range loitering munitions. Hübner stated that this capability should be realized by the end of 2027 — a relatively compressed timeline that signals the urgency with which the German Army is approaching the program.

Loitering munitions — sometimes called kamikaze drones — are autonomous or semi-autonomous aerial systems that can orbit a target area for an extended period before diving onto and detonating against a selected target. Unlike traditional artillery or rockets that follow a fixed ballistic trajectory once fired, loitering munitions can be directed, redirected, or even recalled mid-flight, giving commanders far greater flexibility and precision. At the 200–300km range contemplated for German corps units, such systems would allow commanders to strike high-value targets — logistics hubs, command posts, air defense nodes — deep in an adversary’s rear without exposing aircraft or risking precision-guided rocket stocks.

On the conventional artillery side, Hübner confirmed that 2028 will see the first substantial deliveries of the RCH 155 wheeled self-propelled howitzer and the EuroPULS rocket artillery system, also known as MARS III. The first EuroPULS unit is expected to be handed over before the end of this year. However, the general cautioned that the receipt of new platforms is only the beginning of a longer readiness process: training and exercise cycles must be completed before equipped units can achieve operational readiness. “Until then, the current systems PzH 2000 and MARS II are to be kept operational,” Hübner stated.

The transition gap will be partially addressed through the delivery of new Panzerhaubitze 2000 units in Rüststand A4 configuration — replacements purchased to offset the PzH 2000s donated to Ukraine. Hübner went further, indicating that additional PzH 2000s beyond that replacement tranche may also be procured. “Here we aim to keep the production lines running and procure additional PzH 2000 A4s with a view to 2029 and a maximum tube count,” read a passage from the keynote manuscript.

Germany’s artillery expansion is unfolding against sustained pressure from NATO to rebuild credible land combat power on the alliance’s eastern flank. The layered approach — short-range loitering munitions at battalion level, medium-range systems at brigade and division, and long-range strike at corps — mirrors a warfighting model that has proven itself on the battlefields of Ukraine, where deep fires and precision strike have repeatedly proven decisive.