As the defence company Quantum Systems announced this morning, as part of the “Build with Ukraine” initiative, battle-tested Ukrainian drones will be produced in Germany in the future and then delivered to the Ukrainian army.
The Gilching-based drone manufacturer is once again setting a good example and achieving something that no other German defence company has managed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began almost four years ago: “Designed in Ukraine” but “Made in Germany”.
According to Quantum Systems, production will be carried out by Quantum Frontline Industries (QFI), a joint venture established for this purpose in collaboration with Ukrainian defence company Frontline Robotics.
Quantum Systems will provide industrial infrastructure and production operations, while Frontline Robotics contributes licensed designs, training, and full lifecycle support in line with NATO standards.
The result is a fully automated industrial production line whose output – the LINZA and Zoom drones developed by Frontline Robotics – is delivered entirely to the Ukrainian army.
According to Mykyta Rozhkov, Chief Business Development Officer at Frontline Robotics, high demand meant that production had to be expanded. Easier said than done.
Under the current conditions, it is not exactly easy to find a safe location for series production within Ukraine.
There is a constant risk that the site could be the target of an attack or nighttime drone and missile strikes. The relatively frequent power outages in Ukraine, which are the result of these Russian attacks, could also severely disrupt production.
That is why the decision was made to locate production abroad. This provides the Ukrainian side with a relatively secure and modern production site, which not only ensures a high-quality but also a steady production of its own drones, while creating jobs on the German side, among other things.
With the production line in Germany, Quantum Systems is also strengthening its partnership with Frontline Robotics, whose collaboration was officially formalised in April this year.
At that time, both companies agreed, among other things, to integrate Frontline Robotics’ C-UAS capabilities into Quantum Systems’ UAS systems. In July, both companies signed an agreement whereby Quantum Systems will acquire a ten per cent stake in Frontline, with the option to increase this stake to up to 25 per cent over the next twelve months.
For security reasons, neither company wishes to disclose any further details at this stage, such as estimated production output, a timeframe or further information about the location of the joint venture.
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