Germany Plans to Purchase Typhon Tomahawk Launch System
Germany has announced plans to obtain a land-based launcher for Tomahawk cruise missiles (TLAM), the Lockheed Martin-developed Typhon TLAM launch system. The truck-mounted Typhon battery features four launchers, along with command vehicles, utilizing modified Mk 41 vertical-launch cells to fire long-range Tomahawk land-attack missiles (with ranges of up to ~2,500 km) and SM-6 interceptors. This marks a significant shift in German policy toward fielding actual deep‐strike weapons.
Lockheed Martin developed Typhon, also known as the Mid-Range Capability (MRC) system, between 2020 and 2023 for the U.S. Army. Each Typhon battery is highly mobile, transportable by road or air, and effectively enables ground launching of cruise missiles. It can fire the subsonic BGM-109 Tomahawk (TLAM), it can also launch SM-6 missiles to intercept aircraft or missiles out to roughly 500km. In essence, Typhon provides Germany with a powerful new over-the-horizon strike capability and long range air defense layer. The U.S. began deploying Typhon in 2024 and plans to field it in Europe by 2026.
In July 2025, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed that Germany had formally requested U.S. approval to purchase the Typhon. Details, such as the quantity of batteries, have not been disclosed, but this would be the first foreign sale of the system. German deliveries are likely to come after the systems’ planned 2026 deployment to Europe. German officials highlighted that this is a temporary solution and the Typhon systems will bridge the gap until joint European long-range missile programs (such as the planned UK–Germany 2,000 km cruise missile) become operational.
This purchase aligns with Germany’s broader defense overhaul and its NATO commitments. Berlin has significantly increased its military budget (aiming for NATO’s 3.5% GDP target) and expanded its forces under the “Zeitenwende” policy, which started in 2022. It has committed tens of billions to new equipment and plans to add roughly 60,000 troops to meet NATO targets. Pistorius noted that acquiring the Typhon TLAM launcher “will significantly increase” Germany’s (and Europe’s) defensive reach. The system is explicitly framed as a deterrent against Russian long-range threats and a means to bolster NATO’s posture on the alliance’s eastern flank. Essentially, it grants Germany its own deep-strike capability under NATO’s deterrence umbrella.