GERMANY FUNDS 50,000 STRIKE DRONES FOR UKRAINE, REUTERS SOURCE SAYS

Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter, that Germany has funded a contract worth about 90 million euros, or roughly $103 million, for 50,000 strike drones for Ukraine. The funding claim has not been independently confirmed by Germany's government. Germany's Defence Ministry declined to comment, citing operational security, according to Reuters. The contract details come from Reuters' source, while the German ministry has not publicly confirmed the purchase.

The drones are Shrike first-person-view attack drones made by Ukrainian manufacturer SkyFall, according to Reuters. The drones are equipped with software from U.S. defence technology firm Auterion designed to autonomously track and hit moving targets in the final phase of flight. Some of the drones have already been delivered to Ukraine's government, with the remainder due to be dispatched this year, according to the same Reuters source.

SkyFall confirmed Germany's involvement in the arrangement but said it could not comment on the details of the purchase, Reuters reported. That provides limited on-record corroboration of German involvement, but not public confirmation of the full contract value, delivery schedule or operational details. The funding figure and the 50,000-drone quantity remain attributed to Reuters' source.

Auterion chief executive Lorenz Meier told Reuters that Auterion is helping supply a total of 100,000 drones for Ukraine this year in partnership with different hardware makers, funded by several Western governments. Reuters reported that this includes a separate $50 million Pentagon contract for 33,000 drones already delivered to Ukraine. Meier's comments place the reported German-funded order inside a wider Western-backed effort to scale up low-cost attack drones and autonomous terminal-guidance software.

First-person-view drones have become central to the war. They are relatively cheap compared with traditional precision munitions, but they are now used extensively for battlefield strike, reconnaissance and attrition operations. Reuters reported that the Shrike drones have been used in Ukraine since 2023. The addition of Auterion software is intended to help drones continue tracking a target during the final phase of flight, when communications interference or operator control may be more difficult.

The scale of the reported contract is significant. A 50,000-drone order would represent one of the larger known Western-backed drone supply efforts for Ukraine. It also fits a broader shift by Ukraine and its allies toward mass production of unmanned systems rather than relying only on expensive conventional weapons. Reuters reported that the United Kingdom has also announced a commitment to supply 150,000 drones to Ukraine as part of a wider aid package, showing that drone volume has become a central measure of support.

Germany has been one of Ukraine's largest military backers since Russia's full-scale invasion, but Berlin has also treated some defence deliveries and procurement details as sensitive. In this case, Reuters reported that Germany's Defence Ministry declined to comment for operational-security reasons. That means the public record remains narrower than the reported contract itself: Reuters, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported the German-funded contract, while SkyFall confirmed German involvement without giving details and Germany's Defence Ministry declined to comment.

The next developments to watch are whether Germany publicly confirms the funding, whether Ukraine acknowledges receipt of the full shipment, whether Auterion or SkyFall disclose additional delivery milestones, and whether other Western governments announce similar bulk drone purchases. For now, the reported contract rests on Reuters' sourcing and has not been confirmed by the German government.

Fact-check date: 12 July 2026
Article type: News
Sources: Reuters (single-source exclusive; Germany's Defence Ministry declined to comment)