Arms exports: Federal government approves arms exports for 13.87 billion euros

German arms exports have once again reached a record high. According to preliminary information from the Federal Ministry of Economics, permits for the export of military equipment with a total value of around 13.87 billion euros were issued in the first half of 2026 alone. That is more than four times as much as in the same period in 2025.

The figure consists of around 9.6 billion euros for war weapons and 4.3 billion euros for other war goods.

In the first half of this year, military equipment worth around nine billion euros, or more than 60 percent of the military equipment, went to EU or NATO states and to close partners; in the same period last year, the proportion was significantly higher at 83 percent.

Israel ranks sixth among the purchasing countries

As in previous years, Ukraine is the most important recipient of German military equipment. In the first half of 2026, export licenses worth around 2.5 billion euros were issued for the country attacked by Russia. The country is supported with money and arms deliveries in order to be able to defend itself against Russia, but is counted as a so-called third country. In total, arms exports worth 4.9 billion euros were approved for deliveries to third countries.

The USA is in second place among the recipient countries, with armaments imported from Germany worth 1.6 billion euros. This is followed by the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Lithuania. Israel is in sixth place with almost 800 million euros. Behind it is Latvia with around 500 million euros, followed by Norway, Estonia and Slovenia, each with a relatively small gap.