The Saxon government met in secret with representatives of the arms company Covenant in July. The responsible state chancellery previously denied this - it is still unclear whether it was a bureaucratic error or a deliberate deception of the public. Protests are still being planned against the location of the new rocket factory in Leipzig.

The US-Israeli arms company Covenant plans to produce 1,000 medium-range missiles per year in Leipzig starting next year. At the beginning of October, the company's largest location in the world to date was opened with the participation of high-ranking Saxon politicians.

After the first rumors about a possible settlement in the Saxon trade fair city began circulating at the end of August, the Saxon BSW state parliament member Nico Rudolph made a small request to the Saxon state government. At the end of September - by which time the founding of the location had already become official - the responsible state chancellor replied that there had been no discussions between Covenant and representatives of the Saxon government.

Now it turns out: the answer from the head of the State Chancellery, Andreas Handschuh, was wrong. On October 12th, the State Chancellery suddenly corrected its answer to MP Rudolph and admitted that on July 13th there had been a conversation in the Saxon Ministry of Economic Affairs between representatives of Covenant and the Minister of Economic Affairs Dirk Panter (SPD). As recently as September, the ministry he led described any settlement plans as“Media speculation”.

Saxon state government corrects itself: mistake or deliberate deception?

At the request of MDR AKTUELL, the State Chancellery speaks of one“internal processing error”. This circumstance becomes explosive because the site in Leipzig was only ceremoniously opened four days before the Saxon government's corrected statement. The date and further information about this opening were initially kept secret.

US-Israeli start-up Covenant wants to build weapons near Leipzig

BSW MP Rudolph speaks of a “strange coincidence”. The 37-year-old also states: "Either the government knew. Then they lied to me. Or - and of course that could also be the case: one hand didn't know what the other was doing." Either way, trust in the Saxon state government is being put at risk.

Ambitious plans from the arms industry – talks with the Bundeswehr are already taking place

The fact that the previously largely armament-free city of Leipzig will now be transformed into a central location for European medium-range missile production has long since become an explosive political issue in the city. The Saxon Economics Minister Dirk Panter has not only made secret agreements with Covenant, but is himself a strong supporter of the settlement - and is running as a candidate for the SPD in the Leipzig mayoral election in February 2027. The candidates from BSW, Left and AfD reject the location.

Specifically, production is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2027 and the location northeast of Leipzig graduallyon “Europe’s new factory for cruise missiles”let be. The main aim is to build medium-range missiles of the “Anthem” brand with a range of over 1,500 kilometers, which are intended for so-called “deep strikes” (deep strikes in enemy territory). We are talking about up to 5,000 units produced per year.

The settlement in Leipzig is part of a twelve billion euro investment to improve the“profoundness”of the German military. The Lieutenant General a. D. Andreas Marlow considers a European-produced program for long-range missiles“the missing piece of the puzzle in our security architecture”.For this reason, discussions are already taking place between Covenant and the Bundeswehr, and European customers in particular are to be supplied. The “Anthem” is viewed as one of several options. According to politicians and the army, both the low price and almost exclusively European production are important for the procurement of the weapon.

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The company has already published several job advertisements for managers on its website. However, how many people in total should work in the weapons factory isnot yet known. Covenant assures critics that it is in the factoryno explosivesto use.

no official applicationfor the establishment of a defense company. However, in an interview with LVZ on the occasion of the factory opening on October 5th, the company's managers stated that they had been working on the plans for two years.

Dissenting voices, including from theBoard of the Leipzig Left Party, criticize the deliberate secrecy of the project, which was apparently intended to make both political and civil interventions impossible. Formal approval from the mayor for the factory is still pending.

East Germany in focus as an armaments location

Although no one claims to have been informed, the plans quickly received backing from the government. The list of participants at the factory opening included, among others, the Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer and theFederal Minister of Economics Katharina Reiche. The former in particular is behind the establishment of the arms industry in the Free State. Saxony is not in a position to do without the defense industry, especially in view of its economic strength, unemployment and wage structure.

The head of government is evidenthave been of this opinion for a long time. Together with other East German Prime Ministers, he tried in vain to implement a so-called “Eastern quota” last year. He demanded that the Federal Ministry of Defense be at theSettlement of new armaments locationsthe “new federal states” should also be taken into account. East German companies should also benefit from the Bundeswehr's credit-financed rearmament offensive.

Lower labor costs may have been a particular factor in the decision to establish a tactical weapons location in East Germany. In addition, there is so far little competition from other large arms locations in the region. At the same time, other armaments locations are currently being built in East Germany: The Israeli arms company Elbit is planning a location in Sangerhausen in Saxony-Anhalt, and Rheinmetall, the largest German armaments company, has opened an ammunition factory in Berlin's Wedding. In addition, since 2025, tank parts have been manufactured in the former Alstom factory in Görlitz instead of trains. In addition, “Maxam Deutschland” will produce ammunition near Bautzen in the future.

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Counter-protest planned – demonstration on Saturday

The Covenant project is rather poorly received by Leipzig residents. A survey by O.Trend GmbH on the topic reflects popular opinion: While around 50 percent reject the plans, 30 percent of those surveyed express themselves positively. The evaluation shows that in the survey, security concerns meet hopes for economic opportunities. On the one hand, the factory is seen as a source of secure jobs and greater city income, but on the other hand, citizens are concerned about a greater focus on armaments in the industry and about their city becoming a targetpotential attackclose. The mayor responded to the latter with the words:“We already are.”He was referring to the drone incident at Leipzig Airport in August.

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Protests against the rocket factory have been organized since September. The case was also discussed during the recent school strike against conscription in Leipzig. Next Saturday at 1 p.m. there will be another large demonstration against the construction of cruise missiles. The meeting is organized by the Alliance No Rocket Factory in Leipzig, which regularly organizes rallies, demonstrations and information campaigns.

Mobilization takes place with flyers, posters and on social media. The alliance's open networking meetings are already taking place regularly in the west and east of Leipzig as well as at the University of Leipzig. Further protest actions in the future are already on the horizon and seem to have touched a nerve among the city's population: the “Leipzig remains peaceful” initiative against the factory has also been signed by over 10,000 people so far.

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