Germany funds 50,000 attack drones for Ukraine in €90 million deal

Germany is financing the purchase of 50,000 Shrike first‑person‑view attack drones for Ukraine. The drones are built by Ukrainian manufacturer SkyFall and equipped with autonomous‑targeting software from U.S. defence‑tech firm Auterion. Auterion CEO Lorenz Meier confirmed the contract is worth about €90 million (≈$103 million) and that a European country – Germany – is providing the funding. Some of the drones have already been delivered to the Ukrainian government, with the remainder slated for delivery later in the year.

The order is among the largest known Western drone purchases for Kyiv. Auterion also noted it is helping supply a total of 100,000 drones to Ukraine this year through partnerships with various hardware makers, funded by several Western governments. This includes a separate $50 million Pentagon contract for 33,000 drones that have already been handed over. Britain has also pledged 150,000 drones as part of a broader £752 million aid package.

German and Ukrainian defence ministries declined to comment on the deal, citing operational security.