Neighbouring countries send personnel to help keep the blaze from crossing into Germany.
Published On 16 Aug 202616 Aug 2026
Firefighters are battling Belgium’s largest wildfire on record as it burns through the High Fens nature reserve near the German border on Sunday.
The fire broke out on Friday in Belgium’s Liege province and has been spreading east towards Germany. It has burned more than 27sq km (10.4sq miles).
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Belgium’s previous record fire occurred in 2011, burning 14sq km (5.4sq miles) of the same reserve, the European Forest Fire Information System said.
More than 250 emergency services personnel have been deployed, among them firefighters from Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
Firefighters focused on containing the advancing front of the fire, spokesperson for the government of Belgium’s Wallonia province, Stephanie Ernoux, told the Reuters news agency.
About 600 people in the Belgian border municipalities of Waimes and Butgenbach were told to leave their homes on Saturday as winds shifted and smoke spread.
Authorities said no homes had been affected as of Sunday morning, but urged people to stay away from the fire zone.
In Germany, the town of Monschau said the fire had come within about 3km (1.9 miles) of the border. Officials did not expect the flames to cross the border, the town said, but it advised residents of three of its districts to leave temporarily due to the smoke.
The fire came as Belgium had just come through another burst of severe heat, the thermometer touching roughly 37C (98.6F) in places on Friday, on top of weeks with barely any rain.
Like other parts of Europe, Belgium is in the middle of a summer of repeated heatwaves. Weather agencies logged temperatures above 35C (95F) in several European countries on Thursday, and the United Kingdom had its hottest day of the year when west London reached 38.1C (100.5F).
Fires have frequently followed the heat. Thousands of people have been driven from their homes in Germany, France, the UK, Croatia and Greece in recent days, and about 500,000 hectares (about 1.24 million acres) have burned across the European Union this year.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Wednesday that the discovery of an explosive device points to a “new threat scenario” facing Germany. File Photo by Christoph Soeder/EPA-EFE
Aug. 6 (UPI) — The Leipzig/Halle Airport in Schkeuditz, Saxony, Germany, resumed flights on Thursday after a drone fitted with an explosive device was discovered there a day before.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Wednesday that the discovery of an explosive device points to a “new threat scenario” facing Germany.
“Drone sightings, drone threats including in a hybrid context, are something we know from the past,” Dobrindt said. “That a drone armed with explosives is at an airport is a new threat scenario. We are dealing with a competition here which may also include foreign powers.”
The drone was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane, causing several flights to divert to other airports. In a separate incident, a DHL cargo plane collided with a drone during, causing it to abort its landing.
There were no injuries reported from either incident. The plane that collided with a drone suffered mild damage to its nose.
Germany is the largest national supporter of Ukraine‘s military operations.
“Any speculation on these matters may not be heading in the right direction; could simply be completely wrong,” Dobrindt said. “The priority right now is to investigate in all directions.”
After the explosive device was discovered on the drone, its detonator was safely removed by a bomb disposal robot.
German newspaper Bild reports that a technical malfunction may have been the only thing that stopped the explosive device from detonating.
Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his famed “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on August 28, 1963. The speech galvanized the nation’s civil rights movements and led to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act. File photo by UPI | License Photo
German defense contractor Rheinmetall has unveiled the GMF 140, a new 140-meter guided-missile frigate aimed at NATO and allied navies seeking a next-generation surface combatant with integrated air and missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, and long-range strike capabilities. Better known for armored vehicles, artillery, air defense systems, ammunition, as well as naval munitions and electronics, the new warship marks Rheinmetall’s entry into an entirely new segment of the defense market.
The 6,000-ton-plus vessel is being positioned for export, with Rheinmetall planning to offer the design “initially as part of a procurement project in North America” before pursuing opportunities with other allied navies.
Designed for operations in contested maritime environments, the GMF 140 combines area air defense, ballistic missile defense (BMD), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and strike capabilities in a single platform optimized for blue-water operations while retaining the flexibility to support expeditionary, littoral, and coalition missions.
“The GMF 140 has been specifically developed for the requirements of NATO and allied navies seeking a highly capable, affordable, and interoperable next-generation surface combatant,” Rheinmetall said in a statement.
A rendering showing the GMF 140 (nearest) in action. Rheinmetall
A key feature of the design is its integration of U.S.-sourced combat systems and sensors. Rheinmetall says the frigate is designed around the AEGIS combat system and can accommodate multiple U.S.-sourced radar options capable of detecting, tracking, and engaging conventional air threats, hypersonic weapons, and ballistic missiles.
For customers seeking an alternative combat management architecture, the company says the GMF 140 can also be configured with Lockheed Martin’s CMS330 combat management system, providing an open and scalable architecture capable of integrating both U.S. and European sensors and weapons.
The ship is equipped with 64 strike-length Mk 41 vertical launch system (VLS) cells, allowing it to employ a wide range of air defense, ballistic missile defense, and land-attack missiles. For air defense, for example, 64 VLS cells would give the option of up to 256 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, which come in quad packs, although a typical load-out would provide a far more balanced inventory of larger, longer-reaching anti-air missile and strike weapons, such as the Tomahawk cruise missile and Standard family of surface-to-air missiles.
Mk 41 VLS cell configurations and weapons. Lockheed Martin
Additional armament includes anti-ship missiles, torpedo launchers, a 5-inch (127mm) main gun, laser weapon systems, close-in weapon systems (CIWS), and secondary guns. In the concept artwork, the warship appears to have a U.S. Navy-standard Mk 45 main gun, as well as a SeaRAM CIWS mounted fore and aft, again in line with a pitch to the North American market.
Rheinmetall says the ship incorporates a low-signature hull, integrated acoustic management measures, hull-mounted and towed sonar systems, and facilities to support embarked helicopters and uncrewed systems from either U.S. or European suppliers.
The company says the design is intended to address growing demand from navies modernizing their fleets in response to evolving security challenges in Europe, the North Atlantic, and the Indo-Pacific. It also comes with a small crew complement for its size: each vessel will have a core crew of just 90, with the option to add another 35 if and when required.
Concept artwork of the GMF 140 underway. Rheinmetall
The new frigate’s wave-piercing bow is somewhat reminiscent of that seen on the smaller French Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI), or defense and intervention frigate. The bow of that vessel, which gives an appearance approaching that of a reverse bow, or inverted bow, is something we have discussed in the past. Both warships also have a dramatic chine that extends from the bow along the entire hull line.
The French Navy frigate, the Amiral Ronarc’h, part of the FDI class. Naval Group
The GMF 140 is approximately 460 feet long and has a displacement of more than 6,600 tons.
This puts it at the upper end of the modern frigate category, close to the boundary between a large frigate and a small destroyer. Its displacement should provide the volume and electrical power margins needed to support large radar arrays, future directed-energy weapons, additional electronic warfare systems, and growth in computing capacity. This capacity is especially important as navies adapt toward integrated air and missile defense against increasingly complex threats, including hypersonic weapons and ballistic missiles.
While the Type 26 was primarily designed around anti-submarine warfare and the FREMM family has evolved into multiple variants optimized for either ASW or general-purpose missions, the GMF 140 has been conceived from the outset as a fully integrated air and missile defense combatant capable of contributing to fleet-level ballistic missile defense while retaining robust ASW and long-range strike capabilities.
It is also notable that, rather than relying on proprietary national systems, Rheinmetall has built the GMF 140 around widely fielded U.S. and NATO technologies, including AEGIS, U.S.-sourced radar options, and the Mk 41 VLS. That approach reduces integration risk for navies already operating U.S.-made weapons and sensors while also improving interoperability during coalition operations.
The GMF 140 design reflects a broader trend among NATO navies toward heavily armed, multi-mission frigates that increasingly blur the traditional distinction between frigates and destroyers, at least in terms of missions. Rather than serving primarily as escorts, these ships are expected to provide area air defense, contribute to integrated missile defense networks, prosecute submarines, and deliver long-range precision strikes as part of distributed maritime operations.
While Rheinmetall is positioning the GMF 140 for the export market rather than domestic procurement, it should be noted that the German Navy recently canceled its planned F126 frigates, which, at 545 feet long and with a displacement of up to 11,000 tons, would have been physically the biggest surface warships to join the German Navy since World War II. You can read more about this ambitious program here.
The ill-fated F126 frigate in an artist’s concept. Damen
Instead, Germany opted for a smaller, lower-risk design optimized for anti-submarine warfare, and based on the proven A-200 frigate design from the German shipbuilder TKMS. This will be known as the F128.
Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 represents a different answer to that challenge. Rather than trading capability for affordability, it aims to deliver a heavily armed, highly interoperable frigate with robust integrated air and missile defense, long-range strike, and anti-submarine warfare capabilities in a single platform.
At the same time, the GMF 140 also marks a significant departure for Rheinmetall. While the company has long been a major supplier of naval weapons, sensors, ammunition, and mission systems, it has not previously competed as a prime contractor for a major surface combatant. As Rheinmetall’s first attempt to enter a highly competitive global market with a complete warship design, this necessarily comes with a degree of risk attached for any potential buyers.
Curious angle on this pitch. Not sure I see either Canada or the US as a serious prospect.
On top of that any Rheinmetall/NVL pitch as the most glaring weakness faces a complete absence of previously designed and built combatants (that arent OPVs).https://t.co/Irxs26fDyo
There is also the question about where these vessels would be built. Earlier this year, Rheinmetall acquired Naval Vessels Lürssen, which includes various German shipyards, of which Blohm+Voss in Hamburg would be the most likely candidate, having a long history of building surface combatants.
Rheinmetall’s reference to a procurement project in North America is interesting, pointing to either Canada or the United States.
As it stands, Canada has already selected the River class destroyer (based on the Type 26), so Rheinmetall would be relying here on a future tranche or a follow-on requirement.
In the United States, the Constellation class frigate program was terminated last year, and it was announced that the National Security Cutter design will serve as the basis of a new U.S. Navy frigate program that is named FF(X). Introducing an entirely new design into that program would seem highly unlikely, but the appearance of the GMF 140 does suggest that Rheinmetall has identified a gap in the market between the new FF(X) and the Arleigh Burke class destroyer, with a VLS capacity and level of capability matching that.
As allied navies weigh the balance between capability, cost, and procurement risk over the coming decade, it will be interesting to see whether more navies also move toward a more affordable, lower-risk frigate, as Germany has done, or bigger designs like the GMF 140 that seek to retain destroyer-like capabilities in a frigate-sized hull.
Germany has approved almost 800 million euros ($913m) in arms export licences to Israel in the first five months of 2026, more than in the previous 20 months combined, the government in Berlin has confirmed.
According to a Federal Foreign Office reply to a parliamentary question by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, nearly all the approvals were cleared in April and May.
The approvals portend a dramatic surge in weapons exports to Israel from one of the country’s most steadfast allies in Europe despite the German government’s insistence that it is concerned about the devastation wrought by Israel’s military in Gaza.
The big spend
The government said more than 60 percent of the value of the arms licences is earmarked for a single, unnamed “major maritime project”.
The most likely candidate, analysts said, is a submarine built by the German manufacturer TKMS.
The INS Drakon, a nuclear-capable Dolphin II-class submarine, underwent its maiden voyage last year at a shipyard in Kiel on the Baltic Sea. Its estimated value is 480 million euros ($548m). It was officially handed over to the Israeli Navy last week, according to German media reports.
According to several reports, it could feature a vertical launching system (VLS), enabling it to launch nuclear-tipped cruise missiles or ballistic missiles. Israel would become only the second navy after South Korea known to field a VLS on a modern, air-independent propulsion (AIP), conventionally powered submarine.
During its sea trials, the submarine’s tower was covered with tarpaulins and fibreglass plates to prevent observers from determining its weapons configuration. Strategically, submarines of this class could provide a sea-based second-strike capability – the ability of a country to fire back nuclear weapons after it has itself faced a nuclear attack.
In May, TKMS signed a memorandum of understanding on future collaboration with Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest private defence contractor.
The German Foreign Office and Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, under whose purview arms export licences fall, both declined to comment on the matter.
Max Mutschler, a senior researcher with the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies, told Al Jazeera: “Unfortunately, the fact that the federal government does not explicitly mention this is also typical of the lack of transparency surrounding arms exports.”
Last year, reports conflicted over whether the export licence for the submarine had been granted. The order dates back to 2012. While TKMS indicated approval, the German government denied it at the time.
Germany’s shifting positions
The hesitation might have stemmed from legal concerns surrounding proceedings against Germany at the International Court of Justice in The Hague as well as shifting public opinion in Germany, which has largely turned against arms exports to Israel. According to media reports, Germany is helping finance about 30 percent of the costs for the Drakon and roughly one-third of those for the future Dakar class.
This month, TKMS was also selected by Canada as the preferred bidder to build up to 12 submarines in what would be the largest order in TKMS’s history. The value of the vessels alone is estimated at 12 billion euros ($13.7bn) to 18 billion euros ($21bn).
For years, submarine deals with Germany have been under investigation by the Israeli judiciary over bribery allegations involving close associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ruth Rohde from the British research organisation Shadow World Investigations told Al Jazeera: “Israel has used German ships to fire at Gaza, to blockade and starve Gaza, and is using submarines to station nuclear weapons. At a time when Israel is waging brutal wars on its neighbours and is committing a genocide in Gaza, this submarine export would give Israel another tool in its arsenal of mass destruction.”
Berlin’s arms export policy towards Israel has been marked by reversals. In early August, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Germany would issue no further licences for military equipment that could be used by Israel in the Gaza Strip. By that time, an Al Jazeera investigation had shown that Germany had already exported almost $12m worth of weapons consignments to Israel since October 2023 when Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza.
And the partial suspension proved short-lived: In November, the government lifted the restrictions and returned to reviewing export applications on a case-by-case basis. Even during the suspension, previously approved deliveries continued. In September, for instance, a $794,000 weapons consignment from Germany landed at Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.
Mutschler told Al Jazeera that some people in government “found the export of certain weapons to Israel problematic in light of numerous and credible reports of Israeli war crimes during the military operation in Gaza”. However, it was not enough to “bring about a generally restrictive arms export policy toward Israel”.
The economic calculation
Germany is one of the world’s largest arms exporters. In the first six months of 2026, licences were granted for arms worth 13.87 billion euros ($15.8bn), according to the Arms Export Report of the Ministry of Economics, published in mid-July. That is more than four times as much as during the same period in 2025. Ukraine remains the primary recipient of German arms exports.
Mutschler explained: “Arms exports have been and continue to be viewed by most federal governments primarily from an economic perspective and welcomed as a means of strengthening the defence industry.” He added: “The fact that these arms shipments can also be used to commit war crimes seems to play a significantly smaller role in the decision-making process.”
As a crisis in Germany’s economy – whose strength has relied primarily on exports, particularly in the car industry – has intensified, its defence industry has boomed in recent years. This development was publicly attributed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine although plans for increased defence spending had already been prepared beforehand, according to reports.
Pieter D Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, sees this as a general trend. He told Al Jazeera: “The demand for arms in Europe has increased dramatically over the past few years whereas the demand for arms in many other parts of the world does not seem to be decreasing or is likely to increase.”
The German market remains very important to the country’s arms industry as Germany is set to double its military spending from well below 2 percent of it gross domestic product to a stated goal of 3.5 percent of its GDP within a few years, Wezeman explained. “Germany is now the largest military spender in Europe [not counting Russia], and its arms industry is a core component of the European military-industrial base.”
German Health Minister Jens Spahn (R) and his husband Daniel Funke (L) arrive for a state banquet in honor of the queen and crown prince of Denmark at Bellevue Palace in Berlin on November 10, 2021. On Saturday, Spahn, now a member of the Bundestag, resigned his post after the couple used a surrogate in the United States to have a baby. File Photo by Clemens Bilan/EPA
July 19 (UPI) — Jens Spahn, a member of Germany’s Bundestag, has resigned his post amid uproar over his use of a surrogate to have a baby.
The leader of the center-right Christian Democrats in parliament quit abruptly Saturday, The New York Times reported. The move came three days after he announced the birth of his child, Georg, with husband Daniel Funke.
“Georg is our greatest joy,” Spahn, 46, told the German newspaper Bild. “This feeling is almost impossible to put into words.”
The couple faced criticism for the decision to use surrogacy to have a baby because the practice is outlawed in Germany — a law Spahn and fellow Christian Democrats voted to keep in place in February. Spahn and Funke used a surrogate in the United States to welcome their son.
In 2015, Spahn wrote that “as a gay man and a Christian, I find it personally very hard to warm to the idea of a rented womb,” The Guardian reported.
In an appearance on a podcast, Spahn said he struggled with the decision to use surrogacy but ultimately put his family first, the Times reported.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, also a member of the Christian Democratic Union, called on Spahn to step down Saturday. Other regional members of the party also sought his ouster.
Two 13-year-old girls have been seriously injured and a 16-year-old suspect arrested after an incident at a school in Upper Bavaria, Germany.
Police said a major operation was under way in the area of Welfen-Gymnasium secondary school in the small town of Schongau.
The suspect was carrying a knife as well as a firearm, police said, and they believe they acted alone.
Neither of the girls are in life-threatening condition, but the number of other people involved and the severity of their injuries are currently being clarified, police added.
A police spokeswoman had earlier told AFP news agency it was unclear what weapon had been used in the attack, and declined to confirm reports of a knife attack.
The identity of the suspect is not known and it is unclear if they had links to the school.
The police spokeswoman added the force believe the incident to be a “rampage”.
A contact point for relatives and parents of students has been set up at a fire station in the town.
According to its website, the school was founded in 1887 and had initially been almost exclusively a girls’ school. It has been mixed gender for the last 40 years.
Demonstrators gather to protest against the Alternative for Germany party, which is this weekend. Photo by Christoph Rutenolk/EPA
July 4 (UPI) — Thousands of protesters on Saturday blocked roads in Erfurt, Germany, in an effort to prevent members of the far right Alternative fur Deutschland party from meeting.
The gathering of the party’s delegates to choose new leaders garnered the large protest at least partially because of the date of the conference, which coincides with the date that Adolf Hitler introduced the Hitler Youth, as well as the Hitler salute, The Guardian reported.
The AfD, which finished with roughly 20% of the vote in the most recent German federal election, has been regarded by many in Germany to be too extremist, with Politico reporting that other European far-right parties — including France’s National Rally — have cut ties with it.
“Who’s making headlines today? WE ARE,” the anti-AfD group Widersetzen, which organized the protests, said in a post on Instagram.
“Who’s hiding in glass halls?” the group said in its post. “The fascists of the AfD. 17,000 people in the blockades and the tens of thousands in the demonstrations are a powerful counterforce. We are ready to stand up for social justice and security.”
In a speech, AfD national leader Alice Weidel said that “troublemakers out there at the door: you won’t bring us down.”
The protesters, as well as many historians and politicians, in Germany said that AfD deliberately held its conference on the centennial of the Nazi conference in Weimar where Hitler introduced both the youth “movement” and salute.
The party previously has been accused of racist, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim policies, as well as downplaying Nazi actions during their rule in Germany and World War II.
News anchors are seen outside the Supreme Court of the United States as the court releases their final opinions before summer recess on Tuesday. The court upheld birthright citizenship and also state laws banning transgender women and girls from playing on school athletic teams. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Prosecutors allege a yacht was used in the sabotage of pipelines, with the suspect leading the operation.
By Reuters and The Associated Press
Published On 2 Jul 20262 Jul 2026
German federal prosecutors have filed charges against a 50-year-old Ukrainian national over a series of explosions that destroyed two Nord Stream underwater gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe in 2022.
The federal prosecutor’s office declined to comment on the specifics of the indictment on Wednesday against the accused, who is identified only as Serhii K in court documents under German privacy rules.
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Serhii K is accused of attacking civilian energy infrastructure, causing an explosion, and destroying structures, according to the German public broadcaster ARD.
The underwater explosions damaged both the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines so severely that no gas could be transported through them, knocking out the key routes for Russian gas to Europe for months after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In a December 2025 detention filing by the Federal Court of Justice, prosecutors allege that Serhii K helped coordinate a team that used a sailing yacht, the Andromeda, to place explosive devices on the pipelines near Denmark’s Bornholm Island in September 2022.
According to those documents, Serhii K is suspected of acting as the on-board coordinator and team leader, not as a diver or bomb expert.
The Berlin law firm Menaker, which is representing the accused Ukrainian, has not provided any details on the indictment.
Federal prosecutors confirmed to the AFP news agency that Serhii K was the same suspect who was arrested in August 2025 in Italy and extradited to Germany the following November, and who was named at the time as Serhii Kuznietsov.
At the time of his arrest, German prosecutors said Kuznietsov had used forged identity documents to charter a yacht, which departed from the German city of Rostock to carry out the attacks.
Kuznietsov has denied being part of the sabotage operation. He said he was a member of the Ukrainian armed forces and in Ukraine at the time of the incident, a claim his defence team has said would give him “functional immunity” under international law.
Answering a question from Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine during a news conference in Dublin on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was too soon to comment on the charges against Serhii K in detail.
“We have not officially received any details; at least I have not seen them”, Zelenskyy said. “It is too early to say yet,” he added.
Ukraine’s government has previously denied any involvement in the sabotage or knowledge of the plot to bomb the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines.
June 27 (UPI) — Volkswagen is set to cut as many as 100,000 jobs, and end production at four of its plants, as part of a restructuring to better counter Chinese rivals in Europe.
The company is one of several German automakers that is making cuts as Chinese companies gain ground in both Germany and the rest of Europe, The Financial Times and Wall Street Journal reported.
BMW and Mercedes-Benz, as well as Stellantis and Renault, have lost market share in Europe as BYD, Chery and other Chinese brands have surpassed 10% of car sales on the continent after years of slow growth.
Volkswagen already had agreed with its employee’s unions to cut 50,000 jobs in Germany by the end of 2030 as part of making it “more efficient and leaner,” but some experts have questioned whether the increased moves will have their intended effect, the reports said.
“Every European player is losing today,” Thomas Besson, an auto market analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux, told The Times.
“This is a highly challenging situation for European carmakers,” Besson said, “because Chinese [manufacturers] are progressing [in Europe] at a much faster pace than expected, while [European manufacturers] continue to lose volumes in China and face very adverse conditions in the United States, notably due to tariffs.”
Volkswagen, which is Europe’s largest carmaker, would be dropping about 15% of its 660,000-person workforce, in addition to ending production at three Volkswagen plants and one Audi plant, CNBC reported.
The company also plans to reduce investments by about 15% — roughly $148 billion — over the next five years, while also launching new efforts at selling its products to compete with the Chinese companies.
“The entire [Volkswagen] group — including its brands and subsidiaries — must undergo profound change,” a company spokesperson told CNBC.
White House Border Czar Tom Homan speaks during the Faith and Freedom Coalition 2026 Road to Majority Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton on Friday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (C), accompanied by South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (R) and Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan during their visit to Hanwha Ocean Co.’s shipyard on Geoje Island in South Gyeongsang Province, southeastern South Korea. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
June 17 (Asia Today) — Canada is expected to select a preferred bidder within 30 days for a major submarine procurement program, narrowing the competition to South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean and Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.
The Canadian Patrol Submarine Project calls for the acquisition of up to 12 conventionally powered submarines to replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s four aging Victoria-class vessels.
The acquisition, infrastructure and long-term maintenance program has been estimated by South Korean industry officials at at least 60 trillion won, or about $39.7 billion. Some estimates place its potential value over several decades as high as 120 trillion won, or about $79.4 billion.
Stephen Fuhr, Canada’s secretary of state for defence procurement, said Ottawa expected to choose a preferred bidder within 30 days, according to Politico.
The selection would grant one bidder the right to enter detailed negotiations with the Canadian government, although it would not constitute a final contract award.
Canada previously identified Hanwha Ocean and Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems as the two qualified suppliers for the program.
The contest has entered its final stage as South Korea promotes a package combining submarine construction, government-backed financing and broader industrial cooperation.
Canadian procurement chief visits South Korea
Fuhr visited Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard in Geoje, about 205 miles southeast of Seoul, on Feb. 2 with Canadian government and business representatives.
He toured the shipyard’s assembly facilities and automated production equipment and boarded the ROKS Jang Yeong-sil, the first 3,000-ton submarine in South Korea’s Dosan Ahn Changho Batch-II class, while it was undergoing sea trials.
Fuhr was accompanied by Hanwha Ocean Chief Executive Kim Hee-cheul and senior South Korean officials.
He later visited the South Korean Navy’s Submarine Force Command in Jinhae to examine its training, logistics and maintenance systems.
Hanwha Ocean said the visit allowed the Canadian delegation to assess South Korea’s submarine manufacturing capacity and its ability to provide long-term maintenance and operational support.
Canada seeks submarines for three oceans
Canada wants its future fleet to operate across the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans while maintaining interoperability with the United States and other allies.
Its requirements include long range, extended endurance, under-ice capability and reliable maintenance support.
Hanwha Ocean is offering a version of South Korea’s Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarine, also known as the KSS-III.
The company has emphasized that the platform is already in production and can be delivered more quickly than a newly developed design. It has also proposed cooperation with Canadian universities, shipyards and defense companies.
Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is offering the Type 212CD submarine, a new design being developed for Germany and Norway.
The German bidder has highlighted its long-standing relationships within NATO, European defense supply chains and proposed investment in Canadian industry.
Germany and Norway have also reportedly examined changes to their own production schedules to make earlier delivery slots available to Canada.
Industrial benefits could determine outcome
Canada has made domestic jobs, industrial investment and long-term economic benefits central elements of the procurement.
The government has said work associated with the submarines should strengthen Canada’s marine and defense industries throughout the fleet’s operational life.
South Korea has therefore sought to expand its proposal beyond the construction of submarines.
Canadian officials have discussed potential South Korean investment in Canada’s automotive and transportation industries, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
South Korean companies have responded by exploring a hydrogen-powered commercial vehicle and fueling network rather than committing immediately to a conventional automobile assembly plant.
Hyundai Translead, Hyundai Motor Group’s North American trailer manufacturing subsidiary, has signed a dealership agreement with Canadian commercial vehicle dealer Breadner Trailers for Hyundai’s XCIENT hydrogen fuel-cell trucks.
The trucks have accumulated more than 1 million miles, or 1.6 million kilometers, of commercial driving in North America, according to Hyundai.
Glenn Copeland, president of Hanwha Ocean’s Canadian subsidiary, previously said Hyundai Motor Group had presented an initial proposal to Canadian officials for a hydrogen freight transportation corridor.
The plan could support Canada’s transportation decarbonization policies while adding a civilian industrial component to South Korea’s submarine offer.
Seoul prepares financial support
The South Korean government and state financial institutions are also preparing export financing to support the bid.
The Korea Trade Insurance Corp. and the Export-Import Bank of Korea have expanded financing programs for major overseas projects in defense, nuclear power and other strategic industries.
South Korean officials have said as much as 100 trillion won, or about $66.1 billion, from a broader export financing initiative could be made available for defense and nuclear energy projects. The amount does not represent financing committed exclusively to the Canadian submarine program.
Hanwha Ocean has also sought to demonstrate the strength of its domestic supply chain.
At the World Defense Show in Riyadh in February, the shipbuilder signed cooperation agreements with 11 South Korean defense and submarine equipment companies, including LIG Nex1, Hanwha Aerospace, Kolon Spaceworks, KTE and Firstec.
Hanwha Ocean says more than 80% of the components used in its proposed submarine can be supplied domestically.
A South Korean defense industry official said the final decision would depend not only on submarine performance but also on financing, delivery schedules, maintenance support and benefits for Canadian industry.
“Canada’s submarine project is more than a weapons sale,” the official said. “The remaining competition will be decided by which bidder can offer the most credible combination of capability, delivery and long-term industrial cooperation.”
Pro-Palestine activists interrupted an army recruitment event during German Armed Forces Day. They climbed onto a tank and unfurled a banner reading ‘Genocide with German weapons’ and named Rheinmetall, a key arms supplier to Israel’s military.
