Germany Will Pay for 50,000 Attack Drones for Ukraine – Reuters
Germany will provide funding for the purchase of 50,000 attack drones for the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The delivery of these drones is expected to enhance the Ukrainian military’s capabilities on the battlefield.
It is noted that this order is one of the largest known drone purchases for Kyiv by a Western government.
The order includesShrike kamikaze drones from the Ukrainian UAV manufacturer SkyFall, equipped with software from the American defense technology company Auterion, which enables them to autonomously track and engage moving targets during the final stage of flight.
Ukraine has relied heavily on the effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicles throughout more than four years of war against Russia, and it produces millions of drones annually, as Ukrainian forces carry out thousands of drone strikes every day.
Auterion CEO Lorenz Mayer confirmed that the contract is worth approximately 90 million euros and is funded by a European country. According to him, some of the drones have already been delivered to the Ukrainian government, and the rest are scheduled to be delivered later this year.
SkyFall confirmed Germany’s involvement in the project but stated that the company cannot comment on the details of the purchase.
The Ukrainian and German defense ministries declined to comment on this information.
The Shrike, an inexpensive drone that has been in use in Ukraine since 2023, has recently gained popularity abroad.
A version called the Shrike 10-F, manufactured by SkyFall in collaboration with the British company Skycutter, recently topped the leaderboard in the first round of a Pentagon competition as part of a $1.1 billion initiative to procure hundreds of thousands of unmanned strike drones.
Mayer said that Auterion is helping to supply Ukraine with a total of 100,000 drones this year in partnership with various equipment manufacturers funded by Western countries.
This also includes a $50 million Pentagon contract to supply 33,000 drones, which, according to him, have been delivered to Ukraine, Reuters reports.
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