Throughout the more than four-year conflict with Russia, Ukraine has depended extensively on various unmanned vehicles, producing millions of drones each year as Ukrainian forces execute thousands of drone attacks daily.
The order for attack drones includes Shrike first-person-view (FPV) models produced by prominent Ukrainian manufacturer SkyFall, equipped with software from U.S. defense tech firm Auterion, which enables autonomous tracking and targeting of moving objectives in the final flight phase.
Auterion CEO Lorenz Meier confirmed the contract’s scale, stating it is valued at around €90 million ($103 million) and funded by a European nation. He informed Reuters that some drones had already reached Ukraine’s government, with the remainder expected for delivery this year.
SkyFall acknowledged Germany’s involvement but mentioned it could not provide further details regarding the purchase.
Germany’s Defence Ministry opted not to comment, citing operational security.
Ukraine’s Defence Ministry also chose not to comment.
The Shrike, an affordable drone that has been active in Ukraine since 2023, has recently garnered attention internationally.
A variant known as Shrike 10-F, produced by SkyFall in collaboration with UK firm Skycutter, recently excelled in the first round of a Pentagon-run competition as part of a $1.1 billion initiative to secure hundreds of thousands of one-way attack drones. Auterion noted that its software was utilized in several entries for this competition.
Meier mentioned that Auterion is aiding in the supply of a total of 100,000 drones for Ukraine this year in partnership with various hardware manufacturers, financed by multiple Western governments.
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This also encompasses a $50 million Pentagon contract to furnish 33,000 drones, which he stated have been delivered to Ukraine.
Last month, the UK announced its plan to supply 150,000 drones to Ukraine this year as part of a broader £752 million ($1.01 billion) funding package.
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