Germany is financing the delivery of 50,000 combat drones to Ukraine, a source quoted by „Reuters“ reported, News.bg reports.
The order includes Shrike FPV attack drones, manufactured by the Ukrainian company SkyFall. The unmanned systems are equipped with software from the American defense technology company Auterion, which allows autonomous tracking and hitting of moving targets in the final phase of flight.
Auterion CEO Lorenz Mayer confirmed to „Reuters“ the size of the contract, indicating that its value is about 90 million euros and is financed by a European country.
According to him, some of the drones have already been delivered to the Ukrainian government, and the rest are expected to be sent by the end of the year.
The company SkyFall confirmed that Germany is involved in financing the deliveries, but refused to disclose further details. The defense ministries of Germany and Ukraine also did not comment on the deal, with the German side citing operational security considerations.
Drones as a key factor in the war
Ukraine is increasingly relying on unmanned systems in the war against Russia, with the country producing millions of drones per year and carrying out thousands of attacks with them every day.
The low-cost Shrike drone, which has been used by Ukrainian forces since 2023, has gained international fame after the Shrike 10-F version, developed by SkyFall in conjunction with the British company Skycutter, won the first round of a Pentagon competition.
The model is part of a $1.1 billion American initiative to purchase hundreds of thousands of single-purpose strike drones. According to Auterion, its software is used in several of the systems included in the program.
Western countries increase support with unmanned technology
Lorenz Meyer also said that Auterion is involved in the delivery of a total of 100,000 drones to Ukraine this year through partnerships with various manufacturers and funding from several Western governments.
Among them is a contract with the Pentagon worth 50 million for the delivery of 33,000 drones, which have already been delivered to Ukrainian forces.
Last month, Britain also announced that it would provide Kiev with 150,000 drones this year as part of a military support package worth 752 million British pounds.
The increasing deliveries indicate that Unmanned technologies are becoming one of the main elements of modern military operations, with both Ukraine and its allies investing significant resources in their development.