Germany funds 50,000 drones for Ukraine

Germany is funding the purchase of 50,000 Shrike FPV attack drones for Ukraine, worth about €90 million ($103 million), in one of the largest known drone procurements for Kyiv by a Western government. The drones are manufactured by Ukrainian company Skyfall and equipped with autonomous targeting software from U.S. defense tech firm Auterion. Some drones have already been delivered, with the rest expected by year-end. The deal comes amid ongoing war with Russia, where Ukraine relies heavily on drones. Separately, the United States — The Pentagon is running a $1.1 billion competition for attack drones, in which a variant of the Shrike (Shrike 10-F, produced with UK's Skycutter) topped the first round. Auterion is also supplying 100,000 drones to Ukraine this year via multiple contracts, including a $50 million United States — The Pentagon deal for 33,000 drones. The UK has pledged 150,000 drones to Ukraine as part of a £752 million package.