Germany approves nearly €800m in arms export licences to Israel, with focus on submarine project
Germany has approved almost €800 million in arms export licences to Israel in the first five months of 2026, according to a reply from the Federal Foreign Office to a parliamentary question from the far-right Alternative for Germany party. The approvals were concentrated in April and May, and the government said more than 60% of the value was tied to a single unnamed major maritime project. The scale and timing of the licences mark a sharp rise in permissions after a slower period earlier in the year.
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The government confirmed that the total approved in the first five months of 2026 was greater than the previous 20 months combined. That makes the latest figures notable not only for their size, but also for how quickly they were cleared. The Foreign Office and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, which oversees export licences, both declined to comment further on the matter.
The parliamentary question that prompted the disclosure came from the Alternative for Germany party, which has pressed the government on the issue. Reports and analysts have pointed to a submarine built by German manufacturer TKMS as the most likely candidate for the maritime project. The INS Drakon, described as a nuclear-capable Dolphin II-class submarine, completed its maiden voyage last year at a shipyard in Kiel and was reportedly handed over to the Israeli Navy last week.
Its estimated value is €480 million, and several reports have said it could be fitted with a vertical launching system. If so, that would allow it to launch nuclear-tipped cruise missiles or ballistic missiles, although the exact configuration has not been officially confirmed. The development matters because it sits at the intersection of Germany's export controls, its security relationship with Israel and wider debate over the war in Gaza.
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Berlin has said it is concerned about the devastation caused by Israel's military campaign, yet the latest approvals show that defence cooperation continues at a substantial level. The figures also underline how sensitive arms export decisions can become when they involve systems with possible strategic or nuclear implications. Germany has long been one of Israel's most important defence partners in Europe, and submarine cooperation has been a recurring feature of that relationship.
The Dolphin-class programme has drawn attention for years because of its potential role in providing a sea-based second-strike capability, meaning the ability to respond after a nuclear attack. That strategic dimension is one reason the reported handover of the INS Drakon has attracted scrutiny beyond the immediate licensing figures. The latest approvals also come after TKMS signed a memorandum of understanding in May on future collaboration with Elbit Systems, Israel's largest private defence contractor.
That adds another layer to the industrial and military ties between the two countries. The disclosure suggests that the maritime project is part of a broader pattern of continuing defence links, even as public debate over arms exports remains intense in Germany. What remains unclear is the exact nature of the maritime project, the final weapons configuration of the submarine and whether any further export approvals will follow later in the year.
The government has not provided additional detail, and the companies involved have not publicly clarified the scope of the work. For now, the confirmed facts point to a major increase in German export licences to Israel, with the submarine programme at the centre of attention.
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