Key facts
- Germany is funding an order of 50,000 attack drones for Ukraine.
- The deal is valued at approximately €90 million ($103 million).
- The drones are Shrike FPV models produced by Ukrainian manufacturer SkyFall.
- U.S. firm Auterion provides software for autonomous targeting of moving targets.
- Some drones have already been delivered, with the remainder expected this year.
Germany is funding an order of 50,000 attack drones for Ukraine, marking one of the largest known drone purchases for Kyiv by a Western government. The deal, valued at approximately €90 million ($103 million), involves Shrike first-person-view (FPV) drones manufactured by Ukrainian company SkyFall and equipped with autonomous targeting software from U.S. defense technology firm Auterion.
Auterion CEO Lorenz Meier confirmed the contract size and value, stating that a European country was funding the purchase. He added that some drones have already been delivered, with the remainder slated for dispatch this year. SkyFall confirmed Germany's involvement but declined to comment on specifics, while Germany's Defense Ministry cited operational security for its refusal to comment.
The Shrike drone, deployed in Ukraine since 2023, has gained international attention. A variant produced by SkyFall in partnership with UK company Skycutter recently led in the initial phase of a Pentagon competition aimed at acquiring hundreds of thousands of one-way attack drones. Auterion indicated its software is used in multiple entries for this U.S. initiative.
Meier also noted that Auterion is assisting in supplying a total of 100,000 drones to Ukraine this year through collaborations with various hardware manufacturers, funded by multiple Western governments. This includes a separate $50 million Pentagon contract for 33,000 drones that have already been delivered. In June, Britain announced it would provide 150,000 drones to Ukraine as part of a larger £752 million ($1.01 billion) funding package.