Germany is to fund 50,000 attack drones for Ukraine
This is according to Reuters.
What is known about the contract
According to Reuters, the contract involves Shrike FPV drones manufactured by the Ukrainian company SkyFall. The drones are equipped with software from the American company Auterion, which enables them to autonomously track and engage moving targets during the final stage of flight.
Auterion’s CEO, Lorenz Meyer, confirmed to the agency that the contract is valued at approximately 90 million euros. He said that funding had been provided by one of the European states, and that some of the drones had already been delivered to Ukraine. The remainder are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2026.
SkyFall confirmed Germany’s involvement in the project, though the details of the procurement have not been disclosed. The German and Ukrainian Ministries of Defence declined to comment officially on the matter.
Ukrainian drones enter the international market
Reuters notes that Shrike drones have been in use by the Ukrainian military since 2023. Recently, this development has also attracted the attention of international partners.
In particular, the Shrike 10-F variant, developed by SkyFall in collaboration with the British company Skycutter, has emerged as one of the frontrunners in a US Department of Defence competition as part of a large-scale programme to procure strike drones.
According to Lorenz Mayer, Auterion is involved this year in supplying a total of around 100,000 drones to Ukraine, alongside various other manufacturers. He specifically mentioned a $50 million Pentagon contract, under which 33,000 drones have already been delivered to Ukraine.
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