Yes, They’re Real: How Germany is Preparing Cockroaches for Warfare
Germany is quietly changing the future of warfare—with cyborg cockroaches, AI drones and autonomous submarines. As Europe redefines defence, is this bold pivot a stroke of strategic genius—or a step too far?
What’s Happening in Germany?
Creating cyborg cockroaches and entire fleets commanded by AI, Germany is quietly preparing for a very different kind of war. After years — maybe even decades — of taking a back seat in global defence circles, Berlin now looks to be moving quickly. Without fanfare or political chest-puffing, Germany is partnering with powerful start-ups, backed by precision funding, to keep a sharp eye on future threats. It’s a course correction fuelled partly by necessity — and maybe a bit of frustration too.
Since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict upended European security early this decade, Germany seems to have woken up. And instead of simply copying NATO’s playbook or relying on American hard power, it’s been crafting something of its own: autonomous, algorithmic military equipment, and even cyborg insects prepared for war.
That’s not a metaphor. They are really building cockroach spies.
New Defence Logic: Smaller, Smarter, Survivalist
Germany is not just bumping up its defence budget — it’s reshaping the entire architecture. The numbers are bold, with a plan to increase spending to €162 billion per year by 2029 — that’s a target to triple current spending in just the next four years. What’s more telling, though, is where the money is going. Instead of the usual bloated procurement contracts for tanks, jets, and other traditional hardware, Berlin is working with lean, clever start-up firms with ideas that sound more Silicon Valley than Bundeswehr.
One example is Helsing SE, based in Munich. This AI defence firm has pulled in over €1.3 billion in funding, and already has a valuation of €12 billion. Rather than building the bombs, they create the software that tells the bombs what to do. Their AI flight systems have already flown fighter jets in combat trials, and they’ve developed battlefield networks that combine satellite imagery, drone feeds, and ground-level data into one real-time view. The plan is to create a cloud-based war map for commanders, giving a complete bird’s eye view of the situation along with live insights.
Another company is Swarm Biotactics. This firm turns real, live cockroaches into surveillance tools. Fitted with sensors, neural implants, and cameras, the bugs then crawl through enemy compounds, rubble, buildings, sewer pipes and everywhere in between, relaying footage back to HQ. Creepy? Yes. Useful? Undeniably.
What They’re Actually Building
Here’s what we can expect to see on the battlefield in years to come.
Swarm Biotactics and their weaponised cockroaches:
- Bio‑robot system: Live cockroaches outfitted with “miniature backpacks” containing micro‑cameras, sensors, neural‑stimulation hardware, and encrypted comms modules
- Control & autonomy: Electrical pulses steer individual insects; swarm protocols enable collective intelligence and data relay from hostile environments
- Mission profile: Covert surveillance in enclosed or high-risk areas (e.g., buildings, bunkers), feeding real-time video/data to operators.
Helsing SE’s automated aircraft, subs and real-time analysis:
- HF‑1 / HX‑2 loitering munition drones with quad‑copter wings. AI‑guided (no GPS), short-range strike capacity, jamming-resistant, integrated into an Altra command network for synchronized targeting
- SG‑1 Fathom: autonomous submarine drone (2 m long, 90‑day endurance, acoustic AI detection system “Lura”)
- Altra: a battlefield AI biosystem merging ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) feeds to coordinate strikes.
- Centaur: AI flight-pilot tested on Saab Gripen E in June 2025 – pioneering autonomous aerial dogfight trials
- Cirra: electronic warfare AI integrated with Eurofighter ECR for real-time threat analysis
High Stakes — Not Just High-Tech
This isn’t tech for tech’s sake. Germany is betting that in tomorrow’s conflict, traditional hardware won’t cut it. Satellites can be jammed. GPS can be spoofed. Drones can be shot down. But a fleet of living, low-tech bio-bugs, which also happen to be naturally hardwired to survive almost anything? Well, those are much harder to stop.
As impressive and surreal as the technology itself may be, Germany’s shift actually reveals a change in mindset itself. For decades, Berlin has seemed hesitant to embrace military power. But now there’s an edge to its posture. A quiet resolve, and a sense that the world isn’t going to pause and wait for Europe to sort itself out. It looks like Berlin has stopped apologising, and started adapting.
A Future Battlefield That Doesn’t Look Like One
Imagine all of this coming together. Picture a NATO team cut off behind enemy lines without GPS or comms. In come the swarm of outfitted cockroaches, filtering into a nearby structure, feeding encrypted video back to the AI ops centre. An autonomous submarine tracks enemy vessels from 100km away, silent and unmanned, and AI-controlled drones wait overhead for orders to strike. All of which has been coordinated without human micromanagement.
It stops being a war fought by soldiers. It becomes a war directed by systems. That may not sit well with everyone, but it certainly looks to be where we’re heading.
Some will call it dystopian. Others will say it’s overdue.
Final Thought
The days of trying to build the biggest army seem to be over. It’s now about building the smartest one. Whether you see Germany’s recent revelations as strategic genius or a troubling leap into machine-led warfare may depend on your political stance. But one thing is clear: the age of software-first defence is upon us, and no longer hypothetical. It’s literally crawling through the cracks, quietly rewriting the rules.
