Upgrade | Rocket production in Leipzig meets with resistance

The cruise missiles that Covenant wants to produce in the Leipzig area should have a range of 1,500 kilometers. Photo: dpa/Covenant The planned settlement of the defense company Covenant in the Leipzig area is encountering growing resistance. This Saturday, an alliance called “No Rocket Factory in Leipzig” is inviting people to a protest event on the central Augustusplatz. The newly formed alliance is supported by civil society groups and small parties and supported by the Left and the BSW. There had previously been a rally in front of the town hall on September 2nd on the sidelines of a city council meeting.

It was recently announced that Covenant wants to produce cruise missiles with a range of 1,500 kilometers in the region. The US-Israeli company wants to start production next year and initially produce 1,000 pieces and later up to 5,000 pieces per year in a one-hectare factory. The “Anthem” weapons are said to be significantly cheaper than the US “Tomahawks”. They should carry explosive charges of 200 kilograms and can be used for precision strikes far behind enemy lines. According to the company, the systems manufactured in Leipzig are intended for European customers; The first orders have already been received.

Members of the state government welcomed the company's establishment in Leipzig. CDU Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer said in an interview with two regional newspapers, alluding to the current loss of industrial jobs in the automotive sector, for example, that Saxony is not in the situation "where we can say out of luxury: we are forgoing the defense sector." Economics Minister Dirk Panter (SPD) was quoted on Deutschlandfunk as saying that Covenant's settlement in Leipzig would "create high-quality jobs, strengthen the industrial base and expand technological know-how." The company cites the support of the Saxon economic development agency, which is subordinate to the ministry led by Panter, as one of the decisive factors for the settlement.

"This settlement once again makes Leipzig a military target."

Factors such as jobs should not be evaluated independently of the company's purpose, say the critics of the settlement. "Armaments investments end in a vicious cycle," says Johannes Schmidt, city leader of the Left: "New orders only come when weapons are used on the battlefield." The new alliance emphasizes that they want "civilian, socially meaningful and collectively agreed jobs instead of arms production." The declared goal is to prevent the start of production.

The critics also warn of the consequences of the settlement for the security of the city. The BSW Leipzig district association explains that by producing “first-strike weapons against Russia,” Leipzig is making itself a “potential target.” A statement states that the "Anthem" cruise missiles have a "range as far as Moscow," with the Russian capital being 2,000 kilometers away from Leipzig. BSW state parliament member Eric Recke warns of “serious dangers for the population and the economy.” Skadi Jennicke, the cultural mayor of the Left, also warns that Leipzig could become a “military target.”

The reason Jennicke is speaking out on the topic is because she is her party's candidate in the election for a new mayor, which will take place in February 2027. In addition to her, BSW candidate Recke and the designated AfD candidate Alexander Wiesner also expressed their opposition to the settlement. However, SPD Minister Panter is also among the candidates. These personal details alone should ensure that the Covenant settlement plays an important role in the mayor's election campaign.

City politics are already on her mind. The Left has submitted a motion to the city council that would make Leipzig declare itself a “city of peace.” The establishment of arms companies should be prevented “in the entire city area”. To this end, the administration should “exploit all legally available means.” In the case of specific settlement plans, residents' meetings should be held in the affected area.

The planned or actual settlement of defense companies has so far met with varying levels of response in Saxony. When plans by the Rheinmetall Group to build an ammunition factory in Großenhain on the site of a former military airfield became public in the summer of 2023, there was widespread resistance. The plan fell apart. When, in the spring of 2025, the German-French arms company KNDS took over the traditional Görlitzer Waggonbau, which had recently been producing under the umbrella of Alstom, there was hardly any significant resistance in the city and the workforce. In the East Saxon city, there was overwhelming relief that at least 400 of the previous 700 jobs were retained.

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