LONDON — Germany is financing the acquisition of 50,000 attack drones destined for Ukraine, according to a source with direct knowledge of the arrangement — making it one of the most substantial drone purchases by any Western government in support of Kyiv.
Ukraine has leaned heavily on unmanned aerial vehicles throughout its more than four-year conflict with Russia. Ukrainian forces currently carry out thousands of drone strikes each day, and the country is now producing millions of drones on its own every year.
The drones at the center of this deal are Shrike first-person-view, or FPV, models manufactured by prominent Ukrainian drone maker SkyFall. They are equipped with software developed by U.S. defense technology company Auterion, which allows the drones to autonomously identify and strike moving targets during the final moments of flight.
Auterion CEO Lorenz Meier confirmed the scale of the contract, describing it as worth approximately €90 million — equivalent to about $103 million — and said it was funded by a European country. Meier told Reuters that a portion of the drones had already been handed over to Ukraine’s government, with the remaining units set to be shipped before the end of the year.
SkyFall acknowledged Germany’s role in the deal but stated it was unable to discuss the specifics of the purchase. Germany’s Defence Ministry declined to provide any comment, citing operational security concerns. Ukraine’s Defence Ministry also chose not to comment.
The Shrike drone, which has been in use in Ukraine since 2023, has recently drawn wider international attention. A variant called the Shrike 10-F, developed by SkyFall in partnership with UK firm Skycutter, came out on top in the first round of a Pentagon-organized competition. That competition is part of a $1.1 billion U.S. initiative aimed at purchasing hundreds of thousands of single-use attack drones. Auterion noted that its software is being used in multiple entries in the contest.
Meier said Auterion is working with various hardware manufacturers to supply a combined total of 100,000 drones to Ukraine in 2025, with funding coming from multiple Western governments. That figure includes a separate $50 million Pentagon contract to deliver 33,000 drones, which Meier said have already reached Ukraine.
Last month, Britain announced it would send 150,000 drones to Ukraine this year as part of a wider £752 million — approximately $1.01 billion — aid package.
