Germany Funds Purchase of 50,000 Attack Drones for Ukraine in EUR 90 Million Deal

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing Reuters, Germany is funding the purchase of 50,000 attack drones for Ukraine under a contract worth about EUR 90 million (about SGD 130 million), in what is described as one of the largest known Western government drone procurements for Ukraine. Sources said the order involves Shrike first-person-view (FPV) drones made by Ukrainian manufacturer SkyFall and equipped with software from US defense technology company Auterion that can autonomously track and strike moving targets in the final phase of flight. Auterion CEO Lorenz Meier confirmed the contract size and said some drones have already been delivered to the Ukrainian government, with the remainder to arrive later this year. SkyFall confirmed Germany’s involvement but declined to provide details, while the German and Ukrainian defense ministries declined to comment, citing operational security. Meier also said Auterion plans to work with multiple hardware makers this year to supply a total of 100,000 drones to Ukraine funded by several Western countries, including a USD 50 million US Department of Defense contract for 33,000 drones that has been delivered. Separately, the UK announced last month it will provide 150,000 drones to Ukraine this year as part of a GBP 752 million funding program.