- German drone maker Quantum Systems says it will double its production capacity in Ukraine in 2025.
- The company has supplied Ukraine with drones since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
- Billionaire Peter Thiel is one of the investors backing the startup.
German drone manufacturer Quantum Systems has said it will double its production capacity in Ukraine in 2025.
In a press release on Friday, the Peter Thiel-backed startup said the planned expansion reflected its “unwavering commitment” to ensure Kyiv gets the technology it needs amid its ongoing war with Russia.
Quantum, which has already established two facilities in Ukraine, produces several uncrewed aerial systems used by Kyiv, including the “Vector” reconnaissance drone and the “Trinity” mapping drone. Since the start of the invasion, Ukraine has ordered hundreds of these systems from the company.
Quantum’s Vector drone is primarily used for target identification and surveillance.
It can fly for up to 180 minutes, allows for real-time video streaming over a range of 35 kilometers (almost 22 miles), and has vertical take-off and landing capability, the company says. The “rucksack portable” drone weighs just 18 pounds and is equipped with on-board AI.
The Munich-based company also produces the “Trinity Pro” and “Trinity Tactical,” which are used for mapping and surveying.
These drones can cover an area of 700 hectares in one flight and can fly for 90 minutes, Quantum says. They can use a variety of sensors to gather data, such as multi-spectral cameras and LiDAR scanners.
They can be deployed to help with environmental and battle damage assessments, as well as surveying and mapping key infrastructure and terrain, among other things.
Founded in 2015, Quantum has raised more than $200 million, per Crunchbase.
Billionaire and PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel is one of the investors to have pumped money into the company, taking part in a financing round alongside Project A and Sanno Capital in 2022.
Speaking at the time, Thiel said: “The future of UAS is in neither software nor hardware alone, but in the intelligent synthesis of the two.”
“With that understanding, Quantum-Systems is a leap ahead of its competition,” he added.
Quantum’s CEO Florian Seibel previously told Business Insider that the company planned to gain an edge on competitors by taking what he called a “Tesla approach.”
“You have to do everything from A to Z,” he said. “You are a hardware company, you are a manufacturing company, you are a data service company. That makes it a very complex business case, but that also makes it very defendable.”
Drones have played a crucial role in shaping the conflict in Ukraine, providing both sides with standoff weapons and improved surveillance abilities.
Their prominence on the battlefield has led Kyiv to significantly ramp up domestic production efforts and imports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in early 2024 the creation of a separate branch of the country’s armed forces dedicated solely to uncrewed systems.
Ukraine’s defense ministry said in January that its armed forces would also get an additional UAH 2.5 billion (almost $60 million) a month to procure new drones, in a move designed to enable brigades to purchase the equipment they need directly.
