DistantNews
Support us
From Agriculture to Military Drones: Berlin Startups Pivot to Defense
🇨🇭 Switzerland /Conflict & Security

From Agriculture to Military Drones: Berlin Startups Pivot to Defense

From Le Temps · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • German drone startup Germandrones, initially focused on agriculture and logistics, now supplies surveillance drones to the Ukrainian army.
  • Founder Klaus Scho pivoted the company after pandemic-related contract losses and a request from the German army in 2021.
  • Germandrones is now a German market leader, with hundreds of its systems operating in Ukraine.

Berlin's startup scene is witnessing a significant pivot towards defense, with companies like Germandrones shifting from civilian applications to military technology. Founded in 2016 by Klaus Scho, Germandrones initially aimed to provide surveillance, agricultural monitoring, and material transport solutions.

At the time, the idea was to carry out ground surveillance, agricultural monitoring, and material transport.

— Klaus SchoScho describing the original mission of his startup Germandrones.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Scho's business, leading to the loss of all German contracts. The turning point came in 2021 when the German army expressed interest in Germandrones' surveillance and tracking technology. This led Scho to reorient his company towards defense applications.

Unlike other companies, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, we had products that worked. And we were able to deliver relatively quickly.

— Klaus SchoScho explaining Germandrones' ability to supply Ukraine during the conflict.

Today, Germandrones stands as a leading German manufacturer of surveillance drones. A substantial portion of its production is supplied to the Ukrainian armed forces. Scho noted that unlike other companies, Germandrones had functional products ready for delivery shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, enabling rapid deployment. Hundreds of their systems are now in use in Ukraine.

Today, several hundred of our systems are used in Ukraine.

— Klaus SchoScho detailing the current deployment of Germandrones' technology in Ukraine.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Temps in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog