Zelenskyy: 10,000 drones manufactured in Germany to be delivered to Ukraine in 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited the first German-Ukrainian joint venture producing drones for the Ukrainian military during his stay in Munich, receiving the first jointly manufactured strike drone.
"We saw the production line and the first flight of the drone. This is modern Ukrainian technology. Battle-tested. Equipped with artificial intelligence. It will strike, conduct reconnaissance, and protect our soldiers. And already this year, 10,000 drones produced here will be handed over to Ukraine and will strengthen our forces," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Friday.
The president also said that 10 joint drone production ventures are planned to be launched by the end of the year.
"I thank Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the German government, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius personally, and the German people. Ukraine is always ready to share the experience we have gained defending lives," he said.
Germany’s Defense Ministry said the German-Ukrainian joint venture "is delivering results." "Both sides benefit from the joint venture. By the end of the year, Ukraine will receive up to 10,000 drones under this project. Germany, in turn, is expanding its own production capacity and learning from battlefield experience," it said.
According to Ukrainian company Frontline Robotics, the drone received by Zelenskyy — the Linza 3.0 — was developed by the company and manufactured by the first Ukrainian-German defense enterprise, Quantum Frontline Industries (QFI), which the Ukrainian president visited alongside Pistorius.
"I would like to express my gratitude for this project, which was implemented at the speed of light. We are learning from the successes achieved on the battlefield and benefiting from the innovations being applied," Pistorius said.
QFI CEO Matthias Lehna, who demonstrated the production facility to Zelenskyy and Pistorius, noted that the venture began production just two months after its establishment was announced. "QFI is the first enterprise of this kind, but certainly not the last. We are proud to be the flagship company of Ukrainian-German industrial cooperation and to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine," he said.
Frontline Robotics Chief Business Development Officer Mykyta Rozhkov said the Linza 3.0 was built on frontline experience and "is already helping Ukrainian forces operate more effectively."
The Linza 3.0 is the latest version of the Linza bomber drone series, which has been adopted by more than 60 units of Ukraine’s Defense Forces. It is equipped with an AI-based visual-inertial navigation module, has a 12-inch airframe, and can carry a payload of up to 4 kg over a range of up to 15 km, with an endurance of up to 60 minutes.
The visit by Zelenskyy and Pistorius was organized with the support of the Ukrainian Armory Council, which represents Ukraine’s private defense manufacturers.
