Germany approves €800m arms export licenses to Israel

Germany’s government approved almost 800 million euros ($913 million) in arms export licenses to Israel in the first five months of 2026, according to official data released after a parliamentary inquiry. The figure exceeds the total value authorized over the previous 20 months combined, the data indicates.

The Federal Foreign Office data shows the bulk of the authorizations were issued late in the period, with most approvals finalized in April and May . The timing points to a sharp acceleration in licensing decisions during those two months.

Licenses concentrated in one maritime project

More than 60% of the total value is linked to a single maritime project that analysts identify as the delivery of a Dolphin II-class submarine built by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS). The vessel is known as the INS Drakon, according to the information cited.

Reports cited in the source material say the INS Drakon is capable of carrying nuclear-tipped cruise missiles . On that basis, the submarine is described as providing Israel with a sea-based second-strike capability .

Germany is estimated to be subsidizing around 30% of the project’s costs. The source material does not provide a breakdown of how that subsidy is structured or the total project price.

Policy shifts and scrutiny around Gaza

The surge in export approvals follows what the source material describes as an uneven period of policy enforcement in Berlin. The government had previously announced temporary restrictions on military equipment transfers to Israel.

Those restrictions were lifted in November , returning the process to a case-by-case review , according to the account provided. The data release does not detail how individual decisions were assessed in the subsequent period.

The approvals have occurred alongside domestic public opposition and continued international legal scrutiny related to the conflict in Gaza , as described in the source. The material does not specify which legal proceedings are involved.

Defense industry and broader export volumes

Officials have continued to emphasize strengthening Germany’s domestic defense industrial base, the source material says. In that context, total German export licenses reached 13.87 billion euros in the first half of 2026.

The same material does not provide a country-by-country allocation for the 13.87 billion euros, nor does it specify which categories of equipment make up the overall total. It also remains unclear from the data provided whether the late-spring concentration reflects a one-off backlog in approvals or a sustained shift in licensing practice.