Germany launches mass production of strike drones for Ukraine

Germany has begun mass production of more than 5,000 medium- and long-range strike drones for Ukraine, defense company Auterion and its Ukrainian joint-venture partner Airlogix said.

The first units have already been manufactured in the greater Munich area under a German government order that industry sources estimate at about €300 million ($348 million).

The companies said the contract is due to be completed by mid-2027.

The drones are part of Germany’s military assistance to Ukraine, amid the conflict with Russia that began in February 2022.

The joint venture, founded in February, said it expects follow-on orders and a long-term commissioning.

“Germany now has a production line for affordable precision weapons in large quantities,” Auterion Chief Executive Lorenz Meier told local media.

“We will deliver already proven and tested systems this year -- at costs and at a manufacturing pace that actually make large stockpiles for deterrence possible,” Meier added.

Production is underway at an undisclosed site near Munich and is also planned at a second plant in eastern Germany, German news agency dpa reported.

Two models are being manufactured, according to company sources.

One has a medium range, while the other can fly up to 1,500 kilometers (about 930 miles), the sources said.

Auterion supplies the software and operating system, while Airlogix provides the hardware.

The one-way strike drones carry explosives and are designed to hit and destroy their targets rather than return.

Artificial intelligence is intended to keep the drones on course even when electronic warfare systems attempt to jam them.