Germany is funding the delivery of 50,000 attack drones to Ukraine in what is believed to be one of the largest known drone procurement programmes financed by a Western government since the war with Russia began.
According to a source familiar with the matter, the order involves Shrike first-person-view (FPV) drones manufactured by Ukrainian drone maker SkyFall and equipped with autonomous targeting software developed by US defence technology company Auterion.
The software enables the drones to track and strike moving targets during the final stage of flight, enhancing their effectiveness on the battlefield.
Auterion chief executive Lorenz Meier confirmed the contract involves approximately €90 million (US$103 million) in funding from a European country. He later confirmed Germany was behind the financing, adding that some drones have already been delivered to the Ukrainian government, with the remaining units scheduled to arrive later this year.
SkyFall also confirmed Germany’s involvement but declined to provide further details regarding the purchase. Meanwhile, both Germany’s Defence Ministry and Ukraine’s Defence Ministry declined to comment, citing operational and security reasons.
Ukraine has relied heavily on drones throughout its more than four-year war with Russia, producing millions of unmanned aerial vehicles annually while carrying out thousands of drone strikes each day against Russian targets.
The Shrike drone has been in operational use since 2023 and has recently gained international recognition. A variant known as the Shrike 10-F, developed jointly by SkyFall and UK-based Skycutter, recently topped the rankings in the first round of a Pentagon competition under a US$1.1 billion programme aimed at acquiring hundreds of thousands of one-way attack drones.
Meier said Auterion is expected to help supply a total of 100,000 drones to Ukraine this year through partnerships with multiple drone manufacturers, with funding provided by several Western governments.
The company has also fulfilled a US$50 million Pentagon contract to deliver 33,000 drones to Ukraine.
Last month, the United Kingdom announced it would supply 150,000 drones to Ukraine this year as part of a broader £752 million (US$1.01 billion) military assistance package, highlighting continued Western efforts to strengthen Kyiv’s defence capabilities amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.
