(KYIV, UKRAINE) – Germany will finance the purchase of 50,000 strike drones for Ukraine in a deal valued at approximately EUR 90 million. The order represents one of the largest known acquisitions of unmanned aerial vehicles for Kyiv by a Western government. At current exchange rates, the contract is worth around USD 98 million or GBP 76 million.
The order covers Shrike kamikaze drones produced by Ukrainian manufacturer SkyFall and fitted with software from American defence technology company Auterion, according to a Reuters report citing a source familiar with the matter. The software allows the drones to track and hit moving targets on their own during the final phase of flight, removing the need for continuous operator guidance.
Lorenz Meier, chief executive of Auterion, confirmed the contract value and said it is being funded by a European country. He told Reuters that some of the drones have already been delivered to the Ukrainian government, with the remainder scheduled for shipment within this year.
SkyFall confirmed Germany’s role in the project but said it could not comment on the details of the purchase. The defence ministries of both Ukraine and Germany declined to provide official statements on the matter when approached by the news agency.
The Shrike platform has been used in Ukraine since 2023 and has recently attracted interest from international buyers. A variant known as the Shrike 10-F, produced by SkyFall together with British firm Skycutter, recently placed first in the opening round of a Pentagon competition. That contest forms part of a wider USD 1.1 billion American initiative to acquire hundreds of thousands of one way strike drones.
Ukraine has leaned heavily on unmanned systems during more than four years of war against Russia. Domestic factories now produce millions of drones annually, and Ukrainian forces carry out thousands of drone strikes each day. The scale of production has turned the country into a hub for battlefield innovation, with foreign governments increasingly choosing to invest directly in Ukrainian manufacturing capacity rather than shipping finished systems from their own stockpiles.
Meier said Auterion is helping to supply a total of 100,000 drones to Ukraine this year through partnerships with various hardware makers, financed by Western countries. That figure includes a separate Pentagon contract worth USD 50 million for 33,000 drones, which he said have already arrived in Ukraine.
The Shrike software developed with input from a US Army software factory uses artificial intelligence to reduce the time needed to identify and strike a target from fifteen minutes to roughly one minute. This dramatic reduction in the sensor to shooter loop is viewed by military planners as a decisive advantage in fast moving combat environments where targets can appear and disappear within minutes.
The German financed order signals continued European commitment to strengthening Ukraine’s strike capabilities at a time when the war shows no sign of easing. It also reflects a growing preference among donor nations to channel funds through Ukrainian defence firms, which can produce equipment at lower cost and tailor designs quickly based on battlefield feedback.
For Ukraine’s defence industry, large export style orders backed by foreign governments provide a reliable revenue stream and help scale up manufacturing capacity. The arrangement also deepens ties between Ukrainian engineering teams and Western technology companies, creating a supply chain that could persist well beyond the current conflict.
The use of autonomous targeting software in the Shrike system places the project at the centre of an ongoing international debate about the role of artificial intelligence in lethal weapons.
No further details have been released on delivery timelines or the specific units that will receive the new drones. However, the public confirmation of such a large order suggests that both Berlin and Kyiv see unmanned systems as a priority for the months ahead.
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