German drone manufacturer Quantum Systems plans to supply Ukraine with tens of thousands of SPYS interceptor drones. This was announced by the company’s vice-president, Matthias Lehna, on Wednesday, 7 October, at a press briefing in Berlin, as reported by Ukrinform and Suspilne. “At the weekend, an LOI was signed to secure a package for tens of thousands of SPYS that are capable of shooting down jet-powered drones,” said Lehna. An LOI is a letter of intent and not yet a binding contract.
Funding is to come from Germany. On 4 October, during an unannounced visit to Kyiv, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that the federal government would pay for the production of several tens of thousands of Quantum Systems interceptor drones for Ukraine. They are part of Germany’s military aid package for the winter of 2026/2027. According to Trending Topics, Germany also pledged one billion euros for the joint production of long-range weapons and 350 million euros for the repair of destroyed power plants.
A German-Ukrainian product
SPYS is a joint development by Quantum Systems and its Ukrainian partner WIY. Both work together in the joint venture Quantum WIY Industries. According to the company, experience from the deployment of the STRILA interceptor drone fed directly into the development. Production is to take place in Ukraine. “Thousands of systems are already ready for delivery this year,” a Quantum Systems representative said when asked when the first SPYS from the new package could be delivered. When ramping up production, the company can draw on existing capacities for STRILA. “And I’m talking about several thousand per month here,” said Lehna, referring to the possible production volumes.
The background is a new threat from the air. In addition to classic Shahed drones, Russia is increasingly relying on faster models with jet engines. According to Trending Topics, they fly at around 370 km/h and are therefore about twice as fast as conventional models. WirtschaftsWoche cites speeds of around 600 km/h, with German military officials there speaking of up to 720 km/h. Defending against such jet drones is difficult. According to Quantum Systems, the effectiveness of defences has recently increased significantly. “Initially we observed an interception capability in Ukraine that was in a very low percentage range. It then increased to over 30 per cent and, as the last few nights have shown, to over 50 per cent,” said a company representative. However, this rate is based on a combination of various measures and not on interceptor drones alone. Ukraine is also relying heavily on its F-16 fleet to intercept jet Shaheds.
Scepticism among military and industry
But not everyone shares the optimism. WirtschaftsWoche spoke with several high-ranking military officials and industrialists. One insider said that WIY’s fastest drones to date, i.e. SPYS, are “simply still too slow for the Geran, which are now mainly being used”. Even if there had been two successful shootdowns, he considered a swift and successful mass deployment unlikely. “Our military contacts in Ukraine still see no effective means of defending against the Russians, and certainly no breakthrough,” the insider said. Serialisation before winter would be barely achievable, “even if the Chancellor would like that”. Quantum Systems, by contrast, reaffirms that SPYS can intercept Russian Geran drones up to the fifth generation. The current drone is a transitional technology. “Normally we would only go into mass production with the faster drone, but due to the pressure of the war we will deliver SPYS to Ukraine by spring 2027 and continue developing it in combat use,” said a spokesperson. In November, the company wants to begin trials for a drone capable of 700 km/h.
For Quantum Systems, the order is another major step in Ukraine. According to Trending Topics, back in the spring the company received an order for 15,000 interceptor drones from the Ukrainian armed forces. The company now operates a German-Ukrainian production network comprising Quantum Frontline Industries, Quantum WIY Industries and Quantum Tencore Industries and employs several hundred staff in Ukraine. In the summer, Quantum Systems raised 1.2 billion dollars in one of Europe’s largest DefenceTech rounds, with its valuation rising to around 8 billion dollars (around 6.8 billion euros).
However, support in Germany for aid to Ukraine is crumbling. According to surveys, more than 40 per cent of Germans now believe that the aid goes too far. Whether the SPYS will actually make the hoped-for difference remains open. The coming weeks and the winter will show how many systems actually reach the front and how they perform against Russian jet drones.
