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View all search resultsFrom machine tools to military tech: German industry dons fatigues
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has rattled NATO and led Berlin to pour huge amounts into rebuilding its armed forces, sparking a business bonanza for weapons makers and manufacturers of dual-use goods.
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A so-called HMND 01 Alpha robot carries out transport tasks autonomously at the booth of German industrial conglomerate Siemens during a tour of the Hannover industrial trade fair for mechanical and electrical engineering and digital industries, in Hannover, northern Germany on April 20, 2026. (AFP/Ronny Hartmann)
D
efense and security-related firms for the first time have their own section at the world's top industrial fair in Hanover this week -- a sign of the times as Germany embarks on a massive rearmament drive.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has rattled NATO and led Berlin to pour huge amounts into rebuilding its armed forces, sparking a business bonanza for weapons makers and manufacturers of dual-use goods.
The Hanover Industrial Fair, focused on mechanical and electrical engineering and digital industries, still bars outright weapons technology, but this year it featured a Bundeswehr armed forces stand with a camouflage-painted helicopter and an electronic warfare simulator.
A new "Defense Production Area" grouped around 30 companies offering products with potential military applications -- among them the family-owned Roth company, which makes industrial components, including hydraulics.
"We see this as an opportunity, which is why we're exhibiting in this defense sector as well," said Monika Schwab, its the head of sales. "Because we say that we have the potential, with our expertise, to make our contribution in various fields, including in this area of defense."
The Hanover fair dates back to 1947 and has not traditionally featured the defense industry, a legacy of the dark shadow cast by Germany's Nazi and militarist past.
But it now is widening its horizons as Germany, with much of the rest of Europe, looks to strengthen its defenses.
