Germany to install missile defense systems on new government jets, Spiegel reports

PHOTO CAPTION: The plane carrying German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrives at Hiroshima airport, ahead of the G7 leaders' summit in Mihara, Hiroshima, Japan May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is to install missile defense systems on three new government jets that are used by senior leaders, the Spiegel news outlet reported on Friday.

The German defence ministry is to submit a corresponding contract to the parliamentary budget committee budget for approval by the end of the year, said the report, which did not give details of its source.

The three A350 jets, which are mainly used by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, will be equipped with an infrared system on the fuselage that can disable the seeker heads of approaching missiles with laser pulses, Spiegel reported.

The last of the three planes was handed over to the German military in June.

The defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment or to a question on how other government jets are protected from possible missile attacks.

The high-tech system set to be installed in the A350s is developed by the Israeli company Elbit in cooperation with German aircraft parts supplier Diehl, Spiegel said. Many military transport aircraft are already equipped with it.

The installation is to be carried out in stages so that not all three aircraft are out of service at the same time, the report said.



(Writing by Friederike Heine; Editing by Rachel More and Frances Kerry)