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A Ukrainian military FPV (First Person View) drone flies near the Russian border in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on June 14, 2024. / Photo courtesy of Reuters via Yonhap News Agency

Germany to provide Ukraine with 50,000 attack drones

The German government has reportedly signed a large-scale contract to supply Ukraine with 50,000 attack drones. This marks the single largest drone procurement contract for Ukraine funded by a Western government to date, Reuters reported on July 12 (local time).

Ukraine, which has been locked in a war with Russia for over four years, carries out thousands of drone strikes daily and is ramping up domestic manufacturing to produce millions of drones annually to sustain its operations.

The drone model procured under this agreement is the "Shrike" FPV (First Person View) drone, manufactured by the prominent Ukrainian drone builder SkyFall. These drones are integrated with artificial intelligence-powered software from the U.S. defense tech company Auterion, which enables the drones to autonomously track and strike moving targets during the final phase of flight.

Lorenz Meier, CEO of Auterion, confirmed in an interview with Reuters that the contract is valued at approximately 90 million euros (around 155 billion Korean won) and was financed by a European country. He added that a portion of the drones has already been delivered to the Ukrainian government, with the remaining fleet scheduled for delivery within the year.

SkyFall acknowledged the German government's involvement in the procurement initiative but declined to provide specific contract details. Both the German and Ukrainian defense ministries also declined to officially comment, citing operational security.

According to Meier, Auterion is currently collaborating with multiple hardware manufacturers and Western governments to supply a total of 100,000 drones to Ukraine this year. This broader effort includes a 50 million dollar (roughly 75.3 billion Korean won) supply agreement for 33,000 drones funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, which have already been delivered to Ukraine.

Western military assistance tailored to Ukraine's drone capabilities continues to expand. Last month, the British government announced a military aid package totaling 752 million pounds (approximately 1.5 trillion Korean won) aimed at delivering 150,000 drones to Ukraine within the year.

                                                                                                          Lee Jeong-eun