Germany is negotiating a deal with Ukraine to purchase Bars jet-powered drones, a German official with knowledge of the matter told The Kyiv Independent on October 24. The talks come as Berlin plans to buy thousands of deep-strike weapons from European arms companies, a push first reported by Bloomberg on October 23.

Source: The Kyiv Independent

The Bars is a jet-powered drone with a range of about 1,000 kilometres and a top speed of up to 700 kilometres per hour, and it can carry a modular payload of up to 60 kilograms, according to reporting on the system. A representative of its manufacturer told the Ukrainian outlet NV in September that the Ukrainian army launches around 2,000 of the drones per month against Russian oil refineries, power plants and electrical substations. The manufacturer is not publicly named, for security reasons.

Source: SE Times

Berlin's interest reflects a wider scramble for long-range strike weapons that can be produced in large numbers and used in massed salvos to overwhelm air defences. Germany's army already operates the mid-range Taurus cruise missile, but US officials have warned allies to expect years-long delays on American missile deliveries, making cheaper, mass-produced European systems a more urgent priority for Berlin, according to the reporting.

Source: SE Times

Bloomberg reported that Berlin is also talking to other European suppliers, including the Dutch company Destinus and its Ruta cruise missile and the German-British startup Hypersonica, as well as a possible contract worth over €1 billion — yaani more than ₹9,400 crore — with the US startup Covenant for thousands of Anthem missiles, according to a summary of the Bloomberg reporting. German government estimates put the cost of building a new long-range deterrent arsenal at around €12 billion, yaani roughly ₹1.14 lakh crore.

Source: RE:Ukraine summarising Bloomberg

No contract for the Bars has been announced, and neither government has published numbers, prices or a delivery timetable. The German official spoke to The Kyiv Independent on condition of knowledge of ongoing negotiations, so the talks should be read as discussions in progress, not a done deal. A German-Ukrainian joint-production arrangement for the Bars was reported to have been signed in July, which would give Berlin a path to build the drones in Europe rather than only import them.