Germany begins mass production of attack drones for Ukraine
Mass production of attack drones for the Ukrainian military has begun near Munich, Bavaria, the German-American defense company Auterion and its Ukrainian partner Airlogix announced.
The plant will produce two drone models as part of Germany’s aid to Ukraine: one with a medium flight range and another capable of flying up to 1,500 kilometers (932 miles).
The plant plans to manufacture more than 5,000 combat drones under an order from the German government worth approximately 300 million euros, with completion expected by mid-2027. The first batch has already been produced.
The joint venture was established in February 2026. Its name, exact location, and the names of the drones it will produce have not been disclosed. Production is also planned at a second facility in eastern Germany, in addition to the plant near Munich.
Sources told the news agency DPA that the drones will be equipped with artificial intelligence capable of guiding them to their targets even when electronic warfare countermeasures are in use.
The day before the plant near Munich opened, someone tried to set fire to a construction site in front of the office of defense company Rohde & Schwarz. Two Bulgarian citizens were detained on suspicion of the crime. It remains unclear whether Rohde & Schwarz is connected to the German government’s order for Ukraine’s drones.
The plant’s opening had long been planned, but it came amid worsening relations between Germany and Russia. Berlin has officially accused Moscow of orchestrating sabotage against a Ukrainian An-124 cargo plane at Leipzig Airport.
Over the past week, three separate incidents have also been reported at energy facilities across the country. On September 1, a short circuit occurred at an electrical substation in Bergheim, near Cologne. That same day, explosive devices were found at a substation in Jänschwalde, in the state of Brandenburg. On September 4, a suspicious object was found near another substation in Dormagen, North Rhine-Westphalia.
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