Defense industry | Armored against criticism of rearmament

A walking robot from Security Robotics at a security trade fair in Essen in front of an armored car from Stoof Photo: dpa/Bernd Thissen The Würth Group has become well known to television viewers who are enthusiastic about winter sports as a sponsor of ski jumpers and biathletes. Do-it-yourselfers appreciate the high-quality screws this company produces. If you use this to attach a shelf, you can be pretty sure that it won't tear out of the wall. Screws and fasteners are also used in aircraft: In order to meet the special requirements of the industry, Würth Aerospace GmbH was certified according to the DIN EN 9120:2018 standard six years ago. This is a norm for dealers and stockists in the aerospace and defense industries.

Würth is one of the more than 400 members of the Federal Association of the German Security and Defense Industry (BDSV) and is not the only manufacturer of screws and other fastening systems organized there. “The member companies of the BDSV see themselves primarily as highly qualified suppliers and partners of the Bundeswehr as well as the authorities and organizations with security tasks in the Federal Republic,” explains the BDSV. Classic arms companies such as the tank manufacturer KNDS are included. Otherwise, the list of members contains a number of companies that you wouldn't necessarily expect here, such as law firms and auditing firms that offer their services to the defense industry.

On Wednesday, Brandenburg's Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) will receive BDSV general manager Elisabeth Hauschild in the Potsdam State Chancellery. The BDSV member companies are predominantly based in western Germany, some also in Berlin, and very rarely in the eastern German states. In Schönebeck/Elbe in Saxony-Anhalt, where ammunition and explosives were already produced in the GDR, there is a branch of an arms company with headquarters in Norway. From Brandenburg, only Stoof International GmbH, based in Borkheide, is represented in the BDSV. She armors cars to withstand firearms. This is important for money transporters as well as for limousines in which heads of state are chauffeured or in which aid organizations drive to crisis areas.

When Prime Minister Woidke visited the Holzdorf air base in December 2025, he wished that the defense industry would not always only be located in western Germany. Back then he still ruled with the BSW. But there was already a crisis between the SPD and the Wagenknecht party. At the beginning of January, Woidke broke off the coalition with the BSW and negotiated a new one with the CDU. With this, Woidke now agrees that Brandenburg wants to actively promote the establishment of armaments companies.

At its location in Brandenburg/Havel, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG started a joint venture with the company Ondas Autonomous Systems in April. It offers automated drone defense systems that can be used in the civilian sector and by the military. In the future, the systems will be developed in Brandenburg/Havel and from here initially marketed in Germany and Ukraine and, in the future, also delivered to other European countries. “The decision to choose Brandenburg an der Havel as the center of this future technology is a strong commitment to the innovative strength of our state,” enthused Prime Minister Woidke on this occasion.

Now the company K9 Robotics wants to build a drone factory and buy a 6,000 square meter property in Kremmen in the Oberhavel district. A promotional video with graphics reminiscent of a computer game shows how drones take off while a soldier in the foreground operates a radio. An object is identified and eliminated.

However, the drones that are to be manufactured in Kremmen will not be equipped with ammunition and may not be equipped with it because they do not have the appropriate approval. This is what the “Märkische Allgemeine” (MAZ) and the “Märkische Oderzeitung” (MOZ) reported after an appointment at which K9 Robotics informed local politicians about investment plans and demonstrated drones that are said to be suitable for control flights over highways and aerial reconnaissance during forest fires. The two daily newspapers quoted the local mayor Sebastian Busse (CDU) as saying that it was important to him that there would be drones without ammunition.

But Astrid Braun, non-party mayor in the Groß Ziethen district, has questions about the project. “The fact that a drone does not drop ammunition does not automatically make it a purely civilian product,” notes Braun. Drones would ultimately also be used for target detection. The 80 to 120 jobs promised in the future are “undoubtedly attractive”. However, Braun fears that test flights of the drones will disrupt the cranes and wild geese that roost in the area every autumn on their way to southern climes.

The building committee of the city council is scheduled to deal with the issue on November 12th. In addition to Mayor Busse and Mayor Braun, MAZ and MOZ also quote city councilor Malte Voigts, who sees drones as a technology of the future. The farmer uses such a remote-controlled flying object to scare starlings and other birds away from his ripe blueberries.

"That's why we call on local politicians to examine such settlements by potential arms companies very critically."

BSW district chairwoman Andrea Skandera does not want to stir up fears, as she assures us. But the war rhetoric of some politicians continues to lead to escalation and then the risk of an emergency occurring unfortunately becomes greater and greater. "That's why we call on local politicians to examine such settlements by potential arms companies very critically and, above all, to inform the population transparently and to involve them in the decision-making process," says Skandera.

The BSW district association warns in a press release that one should not unreservedly trust that drones are being produced in Kremmen with which the fire brigade can quickly get an overview before deployment. K9 Robotics names the Israeli drone manufacturer Copter Pix on the Internet as a technology partner. Copter Pix, in turn, also names Israel's Ministry of Defense and its armed forces as its customers. The BSW considers assurances that the drones are not approved for ammunition to be unconvincing. "If German industry were to switch to a war economy - which is unfortunately not unrealistic - then these restrictions will of course no longer apply."

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