Secret German drone plants begin work in Ukraine, says Politico
Illustrative photo (quantum-systems)
The German company Quantum Systems has launched secret plants in Ukraine to produce Vector reconnaissance drones. Around 80 drones are manufactured each month, equipped with artificial intelligence and sensors designed to detect artillery, according to Politico.
The German drone manufacturer Quantum Systems has set up a network of covert factories in Ukraine where the Vector reconnaissance drones are being produced.
At a drone testing event held this week in western Ukraine, Alexander Berezhny, managing director of Quantum Systems Ukraine, said that their company is a model example of how this should be done.
"We are certainly a role model on how to do it, and we are all models for both sides, because while everyone starts speaking about joint ventures, the possibility to produce here and there, we have been doing it for years," he emphasized.
Over the three years of full-scale war, the company has opened a number of workshops in different regions of Ukraine while simultaneously developing production in Germany, the US, and Australia.
Currently, about 80 drones are produced per month in Ukraine, compared with roughly 120 in Germany.
The Vector is one of the first drones Ukraine received in 2022. The new version is equipped with artificial intelligence and a WASP acoustic sensor, which allows it to detect enemy artillery by sound from long distances. The drones are already undergoing testing in collaboration with the Ukrainian missile and artillery command.
Company representatives say that the war in Ukraine has become the main proving ground for the development of drone technology.
"The whole development in the drone industry is coming right from the Donbas, not from Silicon Valley," said Quantum's business development director, Matthias Lehna.
At the same time, production in Ukraine carries risks, as Russian missiles regularly attempt to strike defense enterprises. That is why Quantum disperses its facilities across the country and works closely with European factories.
It is worth noting that, as we reported, in 2023 Ukrainian intelligence received over 100 Vector drones under a contract between the Ministry of Defense and the UAV manufacturer Quantum-Systems GmbH.
This year Germany also supplied Ukraine with these drones. At the beginning of the year, Ukraine received an aid package containing 50 Vector units along with spare parts.
