With an order worth billions for the Munich company Rohde & Schwarz, the Ministry of Defense wants to procure around 20,000 tap-proof digital radios for a command radio system of the Bundeswehr in a first step. The conclusion of a 15-year framework agreement planned for early 2023 provides for a complete radio control system with an initial volume of 1.35 billion euros, Reuters learned from an insider on Thursday. The Ministry of Finance has forwarded a corresponding procurement proposal to the Budget Committee of the Bundestag. In addition to the firm order for around 20,000 radios, order services are also mentioned, which include around 14,000 additional radios. A volume of up to 1.515 billion euros is calculated for this.
According to the information, the procurement of the permanently commissioned devices is to be financed from the 100 billion euro special fund of the Bundeswehr. The Ministry of Defense is assuming follow-up costs of around 2.2 billion euros over a useful life of 20 years. These would be paid from the military budget.
The approximately 20,000 radios are to be delivered between 2023 and 2028. In the past, German troops have borrowed encrypted radios from other armed forces with whom they have worked in Mali, for example, so as not to endanger joint operations.