About 35 Years Old, Hundreds Of German Missiles That Will Be Sent To Ukraine Are Said To Be No Longer Functioning

Illustration of German soldiers firing Strela. (Wikimedia Commons/Bundeswehr-Photos)

JAKARTA - Germany is reportedly ready to send defense weapons to Ukraine, including the Strela light missile, the shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile (MANPADS), amid reports of continued crushing of Russian troops and an increasing number of civilians falling victim to bombings.

However, there may be a problem because, according to local reports, most of these missiles are no longer operational, having been left to rot in storage facilities for a long time.

Previously, it was claimed that the European country would deliver a total of 2.700 Strela missiles, although the delivery had not yet been approved. The missiles were Soviet-made belonging to the National People's Army (NVA), formerly known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR) or East Germany.

The question is, are these missiles still functional, and according to the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel, not at all, as quoted by Daily Sabah March 7.

Some 700 missiles in delivery were no longer operational, Der Spiegel reported, which was later also cited by the daily tabloid Bild.

The Federal Office for the Export of Equipment will inspect materials before shipments of missiles are approved by the Federal Security Council.

Illustration of German soldiers firing Strela. (Wikimedia Commons/Bundeswehr-Photos)

The report notes that the rocket is at least 35 years old and was banned from use in 2012 due to 'micro-cracks in the ammunition propellant payload, leading to corrosion/oxidation.'

Der Spiegel also stressed that the wooden box in which the rockets were stored was so moldy that Bundeswehr soldiers last November were only allowed to enter the storage facility with protective equipment.

Germany on Saturday decided to send about 1.000 anti-tank guns and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine.

Stingers and rocket-propelled grenades arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday. In addition, NATO partners Netherlands and Estonia have also agreed to supply Ukraine with weapons of German or East German origin.

It is known that Germany is considering supplying 2.700 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine. German news agency DPA reported that the Ministry of Economy had approved the supply of Soviet-made Strela missiles, part of the inventory of the army of the former German Democratic Republic, citing Reuters.

A source told Reuters that the Federal Security Council had not yet approved the move. "The missiles are ready to be transported," the source said.