Germany to pay for 50,000 autonomous drones for Ukraine — Reuters
Germany to fund 50,000 Shrike drones for Ukraine (photo: Getty Images)
Germany will finance an order for 50,000 strike drones for Ukraine, marking one of the largest publicly known drone procurement contracts by a Western government for Kyiv, Reuters reports.
The order covers Shrike first-person view (FPV) drones manufactured by major Ukrainian drone producer SkyFall.
The drones are equipped with software developed by US defense technology company Auterion, enabling them to autonomously track and strike moving targets during the final stage of flight.
Scope and funding
According to Auterion CEO Lorenz Meier, the contract is worth about €90 million ($103 million) and is being financed by a European country. Some of the drones have already been delivered to the Ukrainian government, with the remaining units scheduled for delivery later this year.
SkyFall confirmed Germany's involvement but declined to comment on the details of the procurement. The Defense Ministry of Germany also declined to comment, citing operational security. Ukrainian Defense Ministry has not commented on the agreement either.
About Shrike
The Shrike is a low-cost drone that has been used in Ukraine since 2023.
It has recently gained international attention after the Shrike 10-F, developed by SkyFall in partnership with British company Skycutter, topped the leaderboard in the first round of a Pentagon competition.
The competition is part of a $1.1 billion initiative to procure hundreds of thousands of one-way strike drones. Auterion software is used in several projects participating in the program.
According to Meier, Auterion is helping deliver a total of 100,000 drones to Ukraine this year through partnerships with multiple hardware manufacturers backed by several Western governments.
Those deliveries include a $50 million Pentagon contract for 33,000 drones that have already been delivered to Ukraine.
Last month, the United Kingdom announced it would provide Ukraine with 150,000 drones this year as part of a £752 million ($1.01 billion) military assistance package.
Earlier, on July 8, Ukraine and Germany signed an agreement to jointly produce BARS drones. The first phase of the project will be financed by Germany, and all drones produced under the agreement will be sent directly to the front line.
In April, Kyiv and Berlin also agreed on a €4 billion defense cooperation package that includes the delivery of hundreds of missiles for Patriot air defense systems and additional drones.
According to the Kiel Institute, Germany allocated €4.2 billion in military aid during March and April 2026, with most of the funding directed toward air defense systems and drones.
