Germany to buy strike drones in 536 million euros deal

Berlin: The German government plans to order attack drones worth 536 million euros ($638 million) from German startups Helsing and Stark Defense as part of its rearmament drive following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

The contracts for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that fly over a potential attack area before flying to targets are part of a larger framework agreement worth 4.3 billion euros.

The “contracts” outlined in documents seen by Reuters are expected to be approved by the budget committee of the lower house of parliament. It was first reported by Spiegel magazine.
The drones are initially intended to support Germany’s 45th Tank Brigade deployed in Lithuania.

According to the documents, the duration of the contracts with the two companies will be seven years. The first batch is planned to be delivered in early 2027.