Germany plans to buy Australian-made combat vehicles

Germany plans to buy more than 100 Australian-made combat vehicles as it moves ahead with plans to modernize its armed forces, the government said on Thursday.

German and Australian officials signed an agreement to cooperate on the procurement of the new combat reconnaissance vehicles, based on the Boxer family of armored fighting vehicles and equipped with a 30-millimeter gun. The aim is for deliveries to start in 2025, the Defence Ministry said.

It didn't give a price for the purchase. However, it said the money will come from a special 100 billion-euro (USD 108 billion) fund for the modernisation of the military that Germany approved after Russia invaded Ukraine last year.

The new vehicles will replace the German army's Wiesel 2 armoured vehicles, the Defence Ministry said.

Germany's military is widely acknowledged to be suffering from years of neglect and in particular from aging, poorly functioning equipment.

The German government has faced criticism for making a slow start to spending the special fund, but has said that 30 billion euros has already been committed to contracts.

In December, German lawmakers gave the go-ahead for a series of procurement projects including the purchase of Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets.