The German military plans to invest in combat drones, sources in the Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
Contracts are to be signed in the coming days, the sources said, adding that the military plans to initially purchase small quantities of the drones from at least two unnamed manufacturers so that troops can gain experience using them.
The partly autonomous attack drones are equipped with explosives and are referred to as “loitering ammunition.”
As they can be employed for single attacks, they are sometimes known as kamikaze drones.
In recent years, Germany has lagged well behind other countries in the field of defence technology, but a number of companies are now active in the field.
Among them is Helsing, which has developed the HX-2 drone, initially for use in Ukraine.
The drone uses artificial intelligence to direct explosive charges at a target and is less susceptible to jamming.
Helsing recently advocated the rapid development of a credible conventional deterrent on NATO’s eastern flank using new types of combat drones.
The Defence Ministry believes drones have become a “real game changer” in modern warfare, similar to the development of tanks 100 years ago.
The technology can be decisive in certain battles, even if the weapons cannot determine the outcome of an entire war, it said.
Source: dpa.com