Germany’s Quantum Systems announced an investment in Ukrainian manufacturer WIY Drones, and the next step was a major defence deal: the company received an order to deliver 15,000 STRILA interceptor drones for the National Guard of Ukraine. Production of these UAVs is being financed by the German government, and the project has become one of the most notable examples of how Western capital is entering Ukrainian defence tech not only through procurement, but also through direct partnership with a local manufacturer.
According to Quantum Systems, the investment in WIY Drones is intended to support the scaling of production of the Ukrainian STRILA interceptor, as well as its servicing in Ukraine. The terms of the investment agreement have not been disclosed, but it is known that a multi-million agreement was signed in parallel for the supply of these systems to the National Guard of Ukraine. The deal covers not only the drones themselves, but also training for units, logistics, and further development of unmanned systems. At the same time, STRILA will be manufactured in Ukraine in order to respond more quickly to the operational demand of the Defence Forces.
For investors, it is important that this is not a startup without a production base. WIY Drones positions itself as a full-cycle Ukrainian manufacturer working with reconnaissance, strike, and interceptor UAVs, with partnerships with government institutions and inclusion in the NATO supplier registry. According to the company, its flagship STRILA reaches speeds of up to 350 km/h, has a tactical range of 14 km, a maximum flight range with payload of 28 km, a service ceiling of 5,000 m, and payload capacity of up to 500 g.
The investment in WIY Drones appears to be a logical continuation of Quantum Systems’ broader expansion in Ukraine. Back in February 2025, the company announced a doubling of its production capacity in Ukraine, and in May 2025 it raised €160 million in Series C funding. At the end of November 2025, Quantum Systems announced a further €180 million extension of that round, bringing its total capital raised in 2025 to €340 million and its valuation to more than €3 billion. This means that the German player is entering the Ukrainian market not as a one-off supplier, but as a well-capitalized industrial partner capable of financing production scaling.
It is also notable that this is not Quantum Systems’ first Ukrainian defence-tech alliance. In December 2025, the company created a joint venture in Germany with Frontline Robotics under the name Quantum Frontline Industries, and in February 2026 the first Ukrainian Linza 3.0 drone produced in Germany was already delivered there. According to the plan, this facility is expected to provide large-scale output of 10,000 drones within a year for Ukraine’s Defence Forces.
For the investment market, the case of Quantum Systems and WIY Drones is particularly important because it demonstrates a new model for the development of Ukrainian defence tech: a foreign company first takes a position in a local manufacturer, then helps scale production to an industrial level, and after that state financing from a partner country is brought into the platform. In the case of STRILA, this also creates potential for future exports of surplus volumes, which the parties explicitly mention as a possible next stage after Ukraine’s domestic demand has been met.
