Germany to order strike drones worth $638 million

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (2ndL) and Bavarian State Premier Markus Soeder (2ndR) listen to explanations in front of an ERC manned drone for medical transports as they visit the Innovation Center of the German Armed Forces Bundeswehr in Erding, Bavaria, southern Germany, on February 2, 2026, on the day of the center's inauguration. (AFP)
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Updated 11 February 2026
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Germany to order strike drones worth $638 million

  • The contracts for ‌loitering munitions — ‌drones that ‌hover over ⁠a ​potential ‌strike area before flying into targets — are part of a larger framework deal worth 4.3 billion euros

BERLIN: The German government plans to order strike drones worth 536 ​million euros ($638 million) from German startups Helsing and Stark Defense, part of a rearmament push after Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
The contracts for ‌loitering munitions — ‌drones that ‌hover over ⁠a ​potential ‌strike area before flying into targets — are part of a larger framework deal worth 4.3 billion euros.
The contracts, outlined in documents ⁠seen by Reuters, are widely ‌expected to be ‍rubber-stamped by ‍the lower house of parliament’s ‍budget committee. They were first reported by Spiegel magazine.
The drones are initially intended ​to support Germany’s 45th Tank Brigade, which is deployed ⁠in Lithuania.
According to the documents, the contracts with the two companies are to have a term of seven years. The initial batch is scheduled to be delivered by early 2027.