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Secret German Site Shows Lethal AI Drone, €115M Fund

7/13/2026

43 9 Full Breakdown

Left

Factory Manager Unveils Drone

A secret southern-German site displayed a 26-pound black attack drone, described as a lethal killing machine.
Helsing SE’s factory manager handed the drone to a reporter at the concealed facility in southern Germany.
Germany’s Defence Ministry declined comment, while the EU pilots a €115 million AI defence fund.
Alexander Blanchard (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) said shift to AI as Pentagon earmarks $55 billion.

Right

Germany Buys Drones

Germany’s €90 million purchase of 50,000 Shrike attack drones for Ukraine ranks among the largest Western drone deals.
The delivery of 50,000 Shrike FPV drones to Ukraine includes some already arrived and the rest due this year.
Defence Ministry declined comment, noting a Shrike 10-F topped Pentagon competition.
Auterion CEO Lorenz Meier said the €90 million deal powers Shrike drones, Britain pledging 150,000 drones.

History

Historical Context

After the 2001 Predator strike in Kandahar, the United States expanded combat-drone programs, launching the J-UCAS effort in 2003 and fielding thousands of UAVs—over 9,000 by 2014, including 126 MQ-9 Reapers supplied by General Atomics. This legacy now drives worldwide growth in loitering-munition sales among many buyers, including several European states.

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Factory Manager Unveils Drone

A secret southern-German site displayed a 26-pound black attack drone, described as a lethal killing machine.
Helsing SE’s factory manager handed the drone to a reporter at the concealed facility in southern Germany.
Germany’s Defence Ministry declined comment, while the EU pilots a €115 million AI defence fund.
Alexander Blanchard (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) said shift to AI as Pentagon earmarks $55 billion.

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