Ukrainian and Israeli missiles as a replacement for Tomahawk: Germany seeks a new solution in response to the Russian threat

Germany is faced with a question that would have seemed almost incredible a few years ago: how to deter Russia if American Tomahawks might not come?

Berlin no longer wants to wait solely for Washington’s decisions. After the Trump administration abandoned plans to deploy a unit with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany, the German Ministry of Defense began looking towards other suppliers. Among them are Ukrainian and Israeli developments. Politico reported this on June 19, 2026.

At first glance, this is just news from the field of armaments.

But in reality, it is about a deeper change. Germany, Europe’s largest economy, is looking not for a beautiful showcase, but for a real long-range strike tool. One that can be produced faster, bought cheaper, and put on combat duty earlier than the major European projects of the 2030s are completed.

And here, unexpectedly, two countries familiar to the Israeli audience are nearby: Ukraine and Israel.

Why Germany can no longer wait for Tomahawk

Tomahawk is not just a missile. For many NATO countries, it is a symbol of American long-range power.

But symbols do not always solve practical problems.

Politico writes that the urgency of the German search increased after Donald Trump’s decision not to deploy a unit equipped with long-range Tomahawks in Germany. Berlin’s attempts to acquire these missiles independently also remain uncertain. Against this backdrop, the German Ministry of Defense began exploring options that could more quickly fill the gap in the system of deterring Russia.

For Germany, this is a painful but logical conclusion.

European security can no longer be built solely on waiting for an American decision. Washington remains the main ally, but Berlin is now forced to think like countries living next to a threat: what if the necessary weapons are not provided in time?

This question has long been familiar to Ukraine.

Now it becomes German.

Ukrainian trail: Flamingo and BARS

Germany’s main interest in the Ukrainian direction is related to the FP-5 Flamingo missile from Fire Point.

According to Politico, Flamingo can cover about 3000 kilometers, carry a warhead weighing about one ton, and has already been used for strikes on targets inside Russia. The price is particularly emphasized: about 500 thousand dollars per unit. This is about five times cheaper than Tomahawk.

For a war of attrition, this is not a technical detail, but a strategic difference.

It’s one thing to have a limited stock of very expensive missiles. It’s another to build a system where missiles can be produced, accumulated, and used en masse, forcing Russian air defenses to expend resources, make mistakes, and reveal weak spots.

That’s why the Ukrainian Flamingo interested Germany not as an exotic item from the front, but as a potential element of European deterrence.

The second Ukrainian development mentioned in German planning documents is BARS. It is described as a hybrid of a missile and a medium-range drone. The manufacturer is not named. According to Politico, this system was also used in recent attacks on Russia.

It’s important not to exaggerate here.

Germany has not yet announced the purchase of Flamingo or BARS. There is no contract. It’s about exploring options and inquiries to companies. But the very fact that Ukrainian missiles have entered the German defense context already says a lot about Ukraine’s new role.

Not long ago, Kyiv was asking partners for long-range weapons.

Now Ukrainian developments are being considered as a potential response to Europe’s own needs.

Diehl Defence and possible production of Flamingo in Germany

A separate line of this story is the negotiations between Germany’s Diehl Defence and Ukraine’s Fire Point.

Financial Times reported on June 11, 2026, that Diehl Defence is interested in cooperating with Fire Point and potentially producing Ukrainian Flamingo missiles in Germany. This is not about a finalized agreement, but about negotiations and possible industrial cooperation.

This is an important point.

If the Ukrainian missile is not only used but also produced in Germany, Ukraine will gain a completely different status in the European defense system. Not just a recipient of aid. Not just a front that needs support. But a partner whose solutions can become part of Europe’s industrial base.

For Berlin, this is also convenient. Production in Germany means control, logistics, jobs, and less dependence on external supplies in times of crisis.

Israeli direction: Covenant and Anthem

The Israeli part of this story is connected with the company Covenant and its Anthem system.

Politico describes Covenant as a company linked to the US and Israel. It was founded in 2024, and among its investors are named American venture structures, including Founders Fund and Andreessen Horowitz. Germany, according to the publication, also sent it a request as part of the search for long-range solutions.

For Israel, this is not an accidental detail.

Germany has long viewed Israeli technologies as part of its defense architecture. The most famous example is the Arrow 3 missile defense system, which Germany chose to strengthen its protection against ballistic threats.

Now the conversation may go beyond defense.

If Anthem is indeed considered by Berlin as an element of long-range deterrence, it shows: Israel is of interest to Europe not only as a country of missile defense systems but also as a source of solutions for a new reality where the threat can come from hundreds and thousands of kilometers away.

According to Politico, the Anthem test in Israel was expected in the third week of June 2026, and German representatives were invited to observe the test.

This is no longer just a presentation.

This is a signal to the market.

What Germany really wants to get

Germany does not need one “magic missile.”

It needs a system.

In German documents cited by Politico, several directions are described. Among them are the American ground-based Typhon system capable of launching Tomahawks; a faster option with cheap cruise missiles by 2027; and long-term European projects with the UK, including a high-tech cruise missile by 2032 and a hypersonic glider by 2035.

So Berlin is thinking in three horizons at once.

Quickly — to close the gap.

Medium-term — to create a reserve.

Long-term — to build European autonomy.

It is in the first and second horizons that Ukraine and Israel fall. Not because Germany suddenly makes a beautiful political gesture. But because the Ukrainian war and the Israeli defense school have given the world what is now especially valued: practical technologies for a real threat.

Why this is important for the Israeli audience

For readers of NAnovosti — News of Israel, this story is important not only because of the word “Israel” in the list of suppliers.

Here you can see how the security map is changing.

Ukraine, fighting against Russia since February 24, 2022, has become a laboratory of modern warfare. Drones, missiles, communication, intelligence, strikes on the rear, mass production of cheap means of destruction — all this is no longer theory. This is daily practice.

Israel has been building its own defense ecosystem for decades under constant threat conditions. Therefore, it is not surprising that German military looks in this direction as well.

But now these two lines converge on one European task: how to deter Russia if old guarantees no longer seem so automatic?

What this means for Ukraine

For Ukraine, Germany’s interest in Flamingo and BARS is not just military news.

It’s a question of political weight.

If Ukrainian missiles begin to be considered as part of the European arsenal, the perception of Ukraine itself changes. It ceases to be just a country that is helped to survive. It becomes a country that can provide Europe with security tools.

This is especially important against the backdrop of long debates about Western aid, restrictions on strikes on Russian territory, and Moscow’s constant attempts to convince the West that supporting Ukraine is too dangerous.

German interest in Ukrainian long-range developments shows the opposite: it is the Ukrainian experience that can become part of Europe’s response to the Russian threat.

What this means for Israel

For Israel, this story is also not secondary.

If the Israeli-American Covenant can indeed enter the German program, it will strengthen Israel’s position as a technological player in Europe. Moreover, not only in the field of missile defense but also in the field of long-range deterrence.

In a region where Israel itself faces missile threats, Iranian proxies, and the need to quickly adapt weapons to reality, such experience becomes an export advantage.

For Germany, this is pragmatism.

For Israel — another confirmation that its defense technologies remain in demand far beyond the Middle East.

Conclusions

The story with Flamingo, BARS, and Anthem is not news that Germany has already bought Ukrainian or Israeli missiles.

It hasn’t.

For now, Berlin is exploring options, sending inquiries, looking at tests, evaluating price, range, production, and timing. But this stage is precisely what is important now.

Because it shows a turnaround.

Germany no longer wants to be a country that waits for the US to decide what it can supply. Europe is looking for its own depth of strike. Ukraine is turning from a recipient of aid into a potential supplier of solutions. Israel is once again on the list of countries whose technologies interest the European security system.

And for Russia, this is an unpleasant signal.

If earlier Moscow could count on Europe arguing for a long time, slowly agreeing, and waiting for the American umbrella, now the situation is changing. Germany is looking at cheap, long-range, and quickly producible weapons.

And it looks to where they already know the price of delay — to Ukraine and Israel.